HORICON – Just days after a three-day government shutdown ended, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) hosted town hall meetings in Horicon, Mayville, Theresa and Campbellsport on Wednesday.
“I felt the shutdown was totally unnecessary and disruptive,” said Grothman at his stop in Horicon.
He said that on a federal level, the fiscal year begins Oct. 1. When the budget is not passed by that date, the government adopts continuing resolutions that he said are relatively uncontroversial.
He said the vast majority of Democrats decided to shut down the government by voting against the budget extension because they did not agree with Republicans on immigration issues, specifically the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which allows immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children to stay.
Grothman said he hopes to avoid another shutdown on Feb. 8, but it is possible if an agreement on spending and immigration cannot be reached.
“Secure borders is the goal,” he said.
After giving a brief rundown on what he’s working on in Congress, Grothman took questions from the audience.
The small group of constituents in Horicon expressed concerns on a wide range of topics, such as immigration, defense spending, agricultural programs, the heroin crisis and President Trump’s excessive tweeting.
Grothman is serving his second term representing Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.