[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     LISTENING TO OUR CONSTITUENTS

  (Mr. Pocan of Wisconsin was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the special election that 
we had in Wisconsin last Tuesday for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It 
was an overwhelming rebuke of the Trump-Musk agenda of cutting 
Medicaid, healthcare, long-term care, education funding, and food 
assistance to pay for a transfer of wealth of $4.5 trillion from the 
middle class and those aspiring to the wealthiest in this country.
  It wasn't just a 10-point win that mattered. In fact, more than the 
win was the turnout. We rivaled a midterm congressional election 
turnout in a spring nonpartisan election. People are pissed, they are 
scared, and they are feeling unheard. So they came out to vote to be 
heard.
  I know GOP leadership is telling its Members to ignore their 
constituents and not have townhalls, but I think that is backfiring. In 
fact, that is what we heard with that Wisconsin election.
  I have had multiple townhalls, both in my district and in neighboring 
congressional districts in Wisconsin. We have had record turnout.
  In Belmont, Wisconsin, population 1,000, we had over 200 people show 
up; and we had to turn people away. People were watching the townhall 
through the windows. In Viroqua, a town of 4,500 people, 300 to 400 
people showed up to voice their displeasure with the Republican agenda. 
When we go home for this coming Easter break, I will do more townhalls, 
both in my district and in Republican districts, to make sure that 
people are being heard.
  This is not winning for the American people. Trump's tariffs are 
taxes on working people. He is crashing the stock market and making 
costs go up. This is the opposite of what he had promised.
  People don't want their services cut to fund a tax cut for the most 
wealthy. They don't want people who work for veteran hospitals or 
Social Security to have their jobs cut just to pay for Elon Musk and 
Donald Trump's tax cuts. They want the Federal Government's hands off 
the programs they value.
  They are rightfully afraid that the Republicans are going after their 
Social Security, after Musk called it a Ponzi scheme, after Trump lied 
about the program over and over in the state of the Union, and after 
the Secretary of Commerce said people could go a month without 
their Social Security check unless they were fraudsters.

  It is their money. Leave it alone. That is the pledge. Mr. Speaker, 
Republican Members of Congress can ignore their constituents, but 
listen to the lesson from Wisconsin at your own peril. Figure out how 
to listen to your constituents or get a discount card at Costco so you 
can buy Depends by the carton. Those are pretty much your choices.
  People don't support what is going on. Represent them, not Donald 
Trump and Elon Musk.

                          ____________________