On June 4, CaSP members are going to attend a town hall meeting at the Lake Hills Community Center, featuring Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R) of the WI 5th Congressional District. Jim Sensenbrenner has represented the 5th district since 1979. The 5th district is the most Republican district in the state of Wisconsin, and includes many of Milwaukee‘s northern and western suburbs, as well as extending into rural Jefferson County.
Representative Sensenbrenner has been good at holding frequent town halls. He is a proponent of Open Access, while also being against funding for NASA for climate research, commenting “I think that the science is inconclusive on this.”
A major concern is Representative Sensenbrenner’s position on funding for scientific research. President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal includes major cuts for federal funding agencies, amounting to an overall 17% cut. So far, we don’t know Representative Sensenbrenner’s position on the 2018 budget proposal as regards funding for scientific research. In general, the representative has opposed higher taxes and government programs.
Look for our blog post in a few weeks, for a report on the town hall from the perspective of CaSP members.