Republicans Turn Their Back on First Responders During Pandemic

As seen on the news day after day, Democrats and Republicans, at all levels of government, have very different views on any number of issues, from healthcare to education to jobs and the economy.  However, one issue we’ve almost always been able to come together on is protecting those who have dedicated their lives to protecting us. 

Police officers, fire fighters, EMTs and healthcare workers have been on the front lines during the Covid-19 pandemic, treating the sick and keeping order, often exposing themselves to the virus. Earlier this year, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department was hit with a rash of Covid cases.  Seems like a no-brainer that we would want to make sure that any of these heroes who become ill due to an on-the-job exposure are taken care of, right?  Well, apparently that wasn’t the case for Robin Vos, Scott Fitzgerald, the Republicans in the Legislature and their corporate masters at Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

In April, after weeks of discussions between Governor Evers and legislative leaders, both the Assembly and Senate met via “virtual session” on legislation to address the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on our state.  A provision in the bill would have made it easier for “first responders” - police, fire fighters, EMTs and other essential workers - to get workers’ compensation benefits if they are infected with Covid-19 while on the job, as many other states have done. With several time-sensitive measures in the bill, such as a temporary waiver on the state’s one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits and changes to the Medicaid program required in order to receive hundreds of million dollars in federal funding - Republicans knew that there was no time to waste, and the bill had to pass.  Playing politics, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos introduced an amendment on the Assembly floor at the last minute; the amendment requires first responders to identify the specific instance in which they were infected with Covid in order to qualify for workers’ compensation. The amendment was offered so last minute that a freshman Republican Representative, Timothy Ramthun of Kewaskum, actually emailed Speaker Vos’s office a month later asking what was in the amendment he had voted for after he was confronted about it by a Police Chief in his district.

Imagine you are a firefighter who goes out on numerous fire and medical calls a day. Are you going to be able to pinpoint when and from who you contracted Covid, particularly when there are so many asymptomatic carriers and it can take days for symptoms to develop? Not likely. 

Now why would Republicans do this?  Well, according to published reports, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business lobby and mega-funder of Republican political campaigns, put on a last-minute lobbying blitz in order to convince GOP leadership to change the workers’ compensation provision.  Once again, we see Republican priorities.  First responders are our heroes; they should be treated with the respect that they deserve.

Senator Wirch represents Wisconsin’s 22nd Senate District, which includes the City of Kenosha, most of the City of Racine, and parts of Somers, Mount Pleasant, and Elmwood Park.