Welcome to our weekly DC Wrap, where we write about Wisconsin’s congressional delegation. Sign up here to receive the newsletter directly.

Quotes of the week

“Given this flow, no one should be surprised that (the U.S. Customs and Border Protection) stations are well beyond their capacity. They are simply not designed to hold families and children in custody, and certainly not at these numbers…”
– U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in a tweet on Tuesday seeking to affirm past warnings by President Trump and DHS officials about the influx of migrants at the southern border. See the tweet here.

“2 weeks ago @realDonaldTrump claimed that ‘China is going to be buying a tremendous amount of food and agricultural product . . . very soon, almost immediately’ Surprise, surprise… today he admitted that was false and there are ‘no signs that they are doing so.’”
– Sen. Tammy Baldwin in a tweet blasting President Trump. See the tweet here.

This week’s news

— As Congress heads into its August recess, several members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation have town hall events planned during the break.

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*U.S. Rep. Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, will host four town hall meetings on August 6 and 7 in Wild Rose, Hancock, Saukville and Cedar Grove.

*U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, will be announcing his August town halls in the coming weeks.

*Spokeswomen for U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, and Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, told WisPolitics.com that they are still finalizing a schedule for town halls.

*Spokesmen for U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Green Bay, and Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, said neither had town halls planned though both intended to be active in their districts during the August recess.

*Spokesmen for U.S Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh and U.S. Rep Sean Duffy, R-Weston, were not immediately available to provide comment on town hall plans.

— U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil called the appropriations process “broken” as a federal budget bill passed the House despite widespread GOP defections on a deal President Trump’s administration cut.

The Janesville Republican added that the bill the House passed July 25, which would increase government spending by $320 billion over the next two years, lacks “fiscal responsibility.”

“Congress cannot continue to spend without a plan to pay for it,” Steil said in a statement.

All five Wisconsin House Republicans joined 127 GOP colleagues and 16 Dems to vote against the measure, while 65 GOP lawmakers joined 219 Dems voting in favor.

President Trump tweeted in support of the bill, saying “House Republicans should support the two year budget agreement… I am totally with you!” after working with congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle.

After the bill passed the president tweeted again adding, “I am pleased to announce the House has passed our budget deal…great for our Military and our Vets. A big thank you!”

The appropriations bill is now in the Senate and reports from Washington indicate it will receive a vote today.

See Steil’s statement here:
https://www.wispolitics.com/2019/u-s-rep-steil-statement-on-budget-agreement/

See Trump’s tweets here:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1154375992938549248
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1154533077986603008

— U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, introduced legislation in the House to amend financial aid penalties for students who are convicted of minor marijuana charges.

Currently, a college student convicted of possession of marijuana could lose their federal student aid for an extended period of time. Moore last week introduced the Second Chance for Students Act alongside U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill.

“Losing financial aid can be devastating and often determines whether one can remain in school. This policy harms students of color, who are often targeted for low-level offenses like marijuana possession,” Moore said.

Moore’s legislation would allow college students convicted of marijuana possession to retain financial aid eligibility for six months while completing an approved drug rehabilitation program.

See the release here: https://www.wispolitics.com/2019/u-s-rep-moore-introduces-legislation-to-give-students-a-second-chance/

— U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, voted to sustain President Trump’s vetoes of joint resolutions prohibiting arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this week, while Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, supported overturning them.

The override votes failed 46-41, 45-39 and 45-40, well short of the two-thirds support needed.