Message from Congressman Scott Fitzgerald

Congress is out of session and it’s going to be a very lively week in Southeast Wisconsin, but before we dive into the updates, I want to take a moment to address the attempted assassination against President Trump that occurred over the weekend. 

First and foremost, my prayers are with the Comperatore family, who lost a heroic husband and father who died during the shooting while protecting his family. I am incredibly relived that President Trump survived the attack and is doing well, and I am grateful to the security who promptly escorted the president to safety after the attack. We’ve seen many attacks lodged against President Trump, whether that be through rhetoric in the media, or lawfare in the court system, but what happened over the weekend marked a dark day in American history. I certainly hope those who have wrongly mischaracterized President Trump with vile words will rethink their rhetoric. My thoughts continue to be with the president and his family as they navigate this incredibly frightening attack.  

Okay, now onto the updates from last week.

There were a few big committee hearings I participated in last week on the hill. First, at Financial Services, we had two separate hearings with the Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. When talking to Chair Powell I focused my questioning on the significant economic costs our country would incur if we adopt the Fed’s proposed Basel III Endgame bank standards. In particular I am worried that these bank standards will de-stabilize U.S. housing finance if implemented. While Chair Powell told me the Fed doesn’t intend to make housing finance less stable, as we all know, consequences often outpace intentions.

Over at the Judiciary Committee, Ben Shapiro, the co-founder of The Daily Wire, joined us to testify about the apparent collusion against conservative media outlets within the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and specifically its so-called Global Alliance for “Responsible Media” (GARM) initiative. Through GARM, large corporations, advertising agencies, and industry associations participated in boycotts and coordinated to demonetize platforms, podcasts, news outlets, and other content deemed disfavored by GARM and its members…aka content that was deemed conservative. This sort of collusion against conservatives downright hurts consumers and unfortunately is not a new phenomena.

Keep reading on to watch clips of these hearings, and thank you as always for taking the time to read the latest congressional updates.

- Scott

Judiciary Committee Invites Ben Shapiro to Testify on Collusion Against Conservative Outlets

Click on the play button above to watch my Q&A at last week’s Judiciary Hearing on the apparent collusion against conservative media outlets by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and specifically its Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) initiative.

GARM has undertaken various actions to eliminate the monetization, and in effect the existence, of certain voices online. GARM appears to have organized a boycott of its members to stop all paid advertisements on Twitter in response to Mr. Musk’s acquisition of the company in 2022 and bragged about being responsible for Twitter being 80 percent below revenue forecasts. Additionally, GARM threatened Spotify over alleged misinformation on Joe Rogan’s podcast because Mr. Rogan stated his opinion that young, healthy people need not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. GARM and its members also worked to develop solutions that would block conservative news outlets like Fox News, Daily Wire, and Breitbart News from receiving advertising revenue from GARM members because GARM “hated their ideology.” Further, GARM participated in efforts to label social media advertisements paid for by President Donald Trump’s campaign as misinformation.

This stifles not only free speech but also ad revenue that news outlets rely on to grow their businesses.

Federal Reserve Chair Powell Testifies at Financial Services Committee

The Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978 (the “Humphrey-Hawkins Act”) requires that the Fed present semi-annual reports to Congress, which is why last week, Fed Chair Powell testified at the Financial Services Committee.

You can click on the play button above to watch my Q&A, which I kept focused on the Fed’s new bank proposal—Basel III Endgame—and the negative impacts it may have on first time homebuyers and our housing finance market.

Last Friday, I traveled down to Kentucky with my Financial Services colleagues for a field hearing to examine how fintech (financial technology) companies are changing the way consumers interact with and manage their finances.

Southeast Wisconsin has seen first hand the benefit of fintech partnerships. One of our very own at Horicon Bank was a finalist for American Banker’s Innovators of the Year for 2024. Horicon has utilized technology to benefit the customer experience with features like opening an account online, interactive teller machines, video and chat services, as well as helping back office functions, fraud prevention, and compliance.

Fintech truly has the power to drive responsible innovation and expand access to services that were previously only available to those with a personal banker on speed dial. To watch my full Q&A at the field hearing click here.

Green & Gold Congressional Aide Program

ICYMI, my office is seeking a veteran for a position in WI-05’s Oconomowoc district office. If you or a person you know are interested, I encourage you to apply!

The person chosen for the special position will work with military and veteran constituents to handle veterans-related casework and act as a facilitator between constituents and federal, state, and local agencies.

The Green & Gold Congressional Aide Program was established by the House of Representatives to provide employment opportunities for veterans within member offices.

The program is limited to veterans who meet all of the following requirements:

1. Honorably discharged
2. Released from active duty within the last six years
3. Terminal pay grades at or below E-5, O-3, or W-2
4. Veterans promoted to the pay grades of E-6, O-4, and W-3 within 6-months of separation from active duty are eligible, granted they meet ALL other eligibility requirements.
5. Veterans who are in receipt of a 20-year or Temporary Early Retirement Authorization (TERA) retirement are not eligible for the program.

Click here to learn more about the job posting.

That's a wrap for this week's eNewsletter! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on my work for the 5th District of Wisconsin.

Sincerely,

Scott Fitzgerald
Member of Congress