Western Wisconsin Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden is calling for federal funds to be withheld from select communities including Eau Claire.
Showing you different sides so you can decide, Councilwoman Emily Berge speaks out against the effort with this message released from her campaign:
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Rep. Van Orden is trying to silence political enemies of himself and President Trump. Van Orden has taken to his various social media accounts to bully organizations into firing individuals who have taken a critical view of some of the views that Mr. Kirk shared publicly. He has even gone so far as to put forth legislation that grossly infringes on First Amendment rights – calling for the federal defunding of entities that employ individuals “who condone and celebrate political violence.”
Eau Claire City Council President and Congressional Candidate Emily Berge has condemned all political violence and urges now as a time for finding common ground, cooling of rhetoric from all viewpoints, and coming together as human beings. “Behavior like this contributes to the crisis we are in at the national level. Now more than ever, it is essential to elect a representative who can hit the ground running and take on this destruction. My 8+ years as an elected leader has prepared me to do just this. We have seen the real world pain and suffering caused by this administration and lap dogs like Derrick Van Orden. Wisconsinites, and all Americans, deserve better. We need representatives focused on making life easier for folks: making healthcare truly affordable and accessible, lowering the host of housing, raising wages, making grocery bills cheaper, and protecting our natural resources – not this cancel culture tirade our current representative is on.”
Van Orden himself stoked the flames of violence following Kirk’s assassination, saying “the gloves are off” and that he would “be at war” with Democrats for 20 years on his X account. He then went on to say that “Every. Single. One. Of. You. Here. You’re at fault,” when addressing the media recently.
This is the same man who lied about the political affiliations of the alleged assassin of Minnesota Legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband and then called Gov. Tim Walz “clown” and “stupid. ” But what should we expect from a man who flew out to the Capitol for January 6th, leaving nine dead as a result of the attack.
