Yesterday, while most Americans were filing taxes and hoping to get a modest rebate to help pay for rent or child care costs, Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson was defending the multimillion-dollar tax giveaway he secured for himself and the billionaire megadonors who are continuing to support his 2022 campaign.
In 2017, Johnson lobbied to change the draft GOP tax bill, ultimately securing changes that delivered a massive tax break for his wealthy contributors and is now filling his campaign coffers with their donations.
Now, Johnson’s donors are paying him back. According to WKOW-TV, the billionaires Dick and Liz Uihlein, his biggest backers, “gave Johnson’s campaign fund about $280,000” for his reelection campaign in Q1 2022 — their latest gift to Johnson following the hundreds of millions that he secured for them back in 2017.
But Johnson’s wealthy patrons aren’t the only ultrawealthy individuals invested in Ron Johnson’s reelection who now pay less in tax each year due to the 2017 GOP tax law. Johnson has himself admitted — and yesterday again defended — the fact that he and his company have benefited from the changes he lobbied for.
While Johnson defends the tax breaks he secured for himself and his biggest political patrons, he still hasn’t said how much he cut his own taxes — a key question that Wisconsinites deserve an answer to ahead of next November’s election.
Read and watch yesterday’s local coverage on Johnson again defending slashing his own taxes and those of his billionaire backers:
WKOW-TV: On tax day, Sen. Johnson defends tax cut that benefitted himself, top donors
WDJT-TV: Sen. Ron Johnson defends tax cuts that benefited his plastics company
WISC-TV: Johnson reiterates defense of vote in favor of 2017 tax cuts that benefitted his business
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Published: Apr 19, 2022 | Last Modified: Apr 21, 2022