Running for Congress was not a decision I made lightly.
Nonetheless, after seeing Congressman Duffy’s vote supporting Paul Ryan’s budget plan, it became one of the easiest decisions of my life. That is the moment that definitively proved that Sean Duffy and Paul Ryan have the wrong priorities for our country. Neither of them have any real idea on how to get our economy back on track and no real idea on how to reduce our deficit. It is wrong to choose millionaires over Medicare recipients, and in the end the only thing that their plan will do is make our deficit worse.
I was one of the first Democrats to step up and announce my campaign after the Ryan Budget was passed. The problems in Washington are just a symptom; the illness is the misplaced priorities embodied by Congressmen like Paul Ryan and Sean Duffy. The only thing courageous about their plan is how brazenly it further destroys the middle class and pulls our country into deeper debt. This has never been a partisan issue. It is a moral one.
It's wrong to make seniors pay thousands of dollars a year more for their Medicare so that millionaires can keep their tax cuts.
It's wrong to give even bigger tax breaks to companies that ship jobs out of our country.
It's wrong to block bipartisan deficit deals that lead us toward crippling cuts to our nation's defense and to the young men and women who serve our country.
Congressman Ryan and Duffy had their chance to find a way to reduce the deficit and create a real recovery. But they chose to support the wealthiest Americans and special interests, chose to put their hands in the pockets of regular Americans and give it to millionaires. They had a chance to protect their constituents, and chose not to. They cannot be allowed to hurt the middle class any more than they already have. That is why I am running for Congress. And because I’m putting middle class priorities first, because I’m going to protect Medicare, create jobs in Wisconsin and ensure that healthcare is affordable for everyone. And that is why I’m going to win.