Both of Ron’s parents were born and raised on farms. Their work ethic and small-town values were naturally passed along to their own children. As a result, Ron has worked hard all his life. As a boy, he mowed lawns, shoveled snow, delivered papers, and caddied for a few extra bucks. At the age of 15, he obtained his first tax-paying job as a dishwasher in a Walgreens grill. He rose through the ranks as a soda jerk, fry cook, and finally night manager before reaching the age of 16.
He gained early acceptance to the University of Minnesota, so he skipped his senior year of High School and worked full time while obtaining his degree in business and accounting. In 1977, after graduating with a BSB-Accounting degree, he married his wife Jane, and started working as an accountant at Jostens. He also continued his education by enrolling in an MBA night program.
Agriculture has a strong heritage in Wisconsin as one of the driving forces behind our state’s economy. In order to keep the sector growing, Senator Johnson has supported initiatives that will expand new and current markets to share our great made-in-Wisconsin products. The Wisconsin agriculture industry should have the ability to provide products to and compete in both domestic and international markets, and Senator Johnson has worked to ensure that Wisconsin products are not unfairly excluded in local programs or abroad.
Some of Senator Johnson’s efforts include introducing the CURD Act (Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions) to establish an official definition of “natural cheese,” under the FDA’s standards of identity, consistent with longstanding cheese-making processes. The bill passed the Senate in December 2018. He also to allow flavored and unflavored 2 percent and whole milk to be served in the National School Lunch Program.
Senator Johnson cosponsored the Family Farmer Relief Act to help more family farms seek relief by raising the Chapter 12 operating debt cap to $10 million. President Trump signed the bill into law on August 23, 2019.
Senator Johnson’s efforts helped lead to a significant change in the WIC supplemental nutrition program. In 2014, USDA updated the list of allowable foods to include white potatoes. As a way of ensuring that schools can more effectively use their program dollars, Senator Johnson introduced the Fruit and Vegetable Access for Children Act. This bill will allow schools the options of serving fresh along with frozen, canned and dried fruits and vegetables in the federally funded school snack program. Broader access to healthy foods for children is not only good for families — it helps the Wisconsin agriculture sector as well.
Even though it continues to flourish, Wisconsin agriculture also faces threats. As the gray wolf has recovered, northern Wisconsin farmers, ranchers, and land owners have suffered the consequences of the growing wolf population, including deadly attacks on livestock. Senator Johnson has led the legislative effort since 2015 to remove the recovered gray wolf from the Endangered Species list and return management to state wildlife experts in the western Great Lakes (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan). On October 29, 2020, the Department of Interior announced a final rule to delist the gray wolf in the lower 48 states.
Through his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Senator Johnson called a hearing to examine the threat avian influenza poses to both our economy, because of its potential impact on the poultry industry, and in the long term to public health.
Senator Johnson has sponsored bills and held a hearing to highlight how certain regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency threaten farmers’ ability to work their own land. It is important to eliminate both international and federal barriers that can hinder Wisconsin’s agricultural economy, including by protecting common cheese and meat names in our international trade agreements, eliminating tariffs and reducing the chance for retaliatory tariffs, and by including a variety of nutritional options in our National School Lunch Program and WIC.
Senator Johnson will continue to promote common-sense policies that ease regulation and promote growth within Wisconsin’s agriculture sector.
Senator Johnson firmly believes that the top priority of the federal government is the defense of America and the American people. That’s why Senator Johnson has supported the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act every year since he was sworn in as a United States senator in 2011.
The men and women who serve in our armed forces are the finest among us. It’s only because of their continued sacrifices that we are able to enjoy America’s many freedoms. Our gratitude is only the beginning of what we owe them.
Protecting Our Military on Bases
The brave men and women of our nation’s military shouldn't be left vulnerable when it comes to defending themselves and their fellow service members. That is why after the tragic slaying of four Marines and one sailor in Chattanooga, Tenn., in July 2015, Senator Johnson introduced the Armed Forces Self-Defense Act, S. 1821. This bill would allow military personnel to carry their firearms on military installations.
This language was later included as a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2016. This provision became law on Nov. 25, 2015 and required the secretary of defense to set up a process by the end of 2015 to let service members carry a firearm on a military installation.
Honoring U.S. Service Members
Since being sent by Wisconsin to the Senate, Senator Johnson has introduced and cosponsored numerous pieces of legislation to highlight the patriotism and dedication of our heroic service men and women.
Among these pieces of legislation are:
Wisconsin’s Robust Defense Industry
In addition to Wisconsin’s many fine service men and women, Senator Johnson is proud that the state has a robust defense industry — one that he would like to see thriving for many years to come. Wisconsin is a leader in defense innovation that keeps our service men and women safer while providing them with greater capabilities.
Senator Johnson has been a longtime supporter of the fast and agile littoral combat ship and its more formidable successor, the Constellation-class frigate. Both ships are produced in Wisconsin. Senator Johnson believes that a strong Navy is critical to America's security and applauds the numerouse Wisconsin defense suppliers that manufacture key components for the United States' fleet.
Senator Johnson also recognized the important role Wisconsin plays in keeping American armed forces safe and capable on land. In August 2015, Senator Johnson was pleased to be able to congratulate Oshkosh Defense on winning the contract to produce the Humvee’s replacement, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. He salutes Wisconsin's defense industrial base for its continued contributions big and small to the many tactical vehicle programs that are critical for the Army and the Marine Corps.
Auditing Defense Spending
As we evaluate how to slow the growth in government and debt, all areas of the budget — including defense — must be scrutinized. Funding for defense should be determined by the threats we face, not by politics. To this end, Senator Johnson has been a leader on efforts to hold the Pentagon accountable on its audit obligations. A clear picture of how dollars are spent and where duplication occurs would enable Congress to prioritize critical defense missions, save billions of dollars and strengthen our military.
Elementary and Secondary Education
Before serving in the Senate, Senator Johnson volunteered as the business co-chairman of the Partners in Education Council of the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce. He worked with teachers, principals and local leaders in Oshkosh to help provide students with the tools they needed to lead productive and successful lives.
Serving on the council made Senator Johnson aware of the challenges facing educators today. It also confirmed his belief that good teachers know how to teach and that local administrators know how to run their schools. Educational decisions should be made as close to local schools and classrooms as possible.
Efforts to improve the federal government’s influence on the country’s education system culminated in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which first passed in 1965 and was last reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002.
This strong bipartisan reform, titled the Every Student Succeeds Act, was signed into law in December 2015. It reauthorized federal K-12 education funding through fiscal year 2020. Senator Johnson supported this legislation as a step in the right direction toward less federal control over education. It is a prime example of achieving a successful result by concentrating on areas of agreement — an approach Senator Johnson fully supports and practices. It represents a compromise and addresses many of the aspects of No Child Left Behind that were causing more harm than good, such as excessive testing and too much federal control over education decisions.
The Every Student Succeeds Act shifts power away from Washington and toward states, communities, and the teachers and parents who are at the front line of education. Returning power to those closest to children will help educators perform their work more effectively and efficiently, and it gives students a better chance of success.
Parental School Choice
Senator Johnson supports further efforts to encourage choice in education. Students and parents should have the flexibility to choose the type of education that best suits their individual requirements. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Johnson held hearings related to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which lets families choose the schools they think will best suit their children’s needs. One of these hearings was held in Milwaukee to highlight the longest-running and most successful school choice program in the country, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. The hearing allowed Milwaukeeans who teach some of the city’s most disadvantaged children to discuss what works – and it gave the committee a chance to hear from graduates of successful Milwaukee schools.
Higher Education
The federal government provides billions of dollars every year to students through various student aid programs such as Pell Grants and Perkins Loans. These efforts are an attempt to improve access to higher education, a result that we all want. However, higher education remains out of reach for many Americans. Tuition at colleges has increased more than 2.5 times the rate of inflation. The best evidence shows this may have been an unintended consequence of the government’s involvement, with research showing each new dollar in federal student aid causing tuition to rise as much as 65 cents. Student loan debt has ballooned over the past two decades. The federal government has lured students into so much borrowing that there is now $1.2 trillion in student loan debt outstanding and an average bachelor’s degree recipient owing more than $26,000 in debt to the government. This financial burden hurts individuals and the country in many ways.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Johnson held a committee hearing to expose the U.S. Department of Education’s effects on higher education and students. His committee heard witness testimony from both government and outside experts. All agreed that the federal government’s role in higher education must be reformed.
Meanwhile, we must ensure that current students are secure in their current arrangements. Senator Johnson was a strong proponent of the effort to extend the Perkins Loan Program in late 2015, ensuring that students already participating in the program could continue. The decades-old program partners with colleges and universities to provide assistance to more than 20,000 low-income students in Wisconsin each year, and an extension provided greater certainty as Congress continues its work toward broader reforms in federal student aid.
The United States has been the greatest force for good in the history of the world. This nation has promoted individual rights, free markets, self-determination, and religious freedom. Presidents of both parties have consistently promoted these goals, and at times they have used international alliances and coalition efforts to do so. I do not believe the United States should stop working internationally with our allies to promote these goals.
That said, Presidents have at times used international organizations, treaties and agreements to promote controversial agenda items at home – both in the Congress and in the states. Examples include accords such as the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, the U.N. Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea Treaty, and others. Without first seeking Congressional approval, Presidents have touted the benefits of these accords, and called for laws, policies, and regulations that would begin to implement agenda items. Agreements like these have often been cited as a reason that the United States should – or might be required to – enact new laws and regulations that might be in conflict with American values or tradition, or be opposed by a majority of the American people.
This is wrong.
I do not believe Presidents of either party should enter into international agreements or other commitments in a secretive fashion, or without the full knowledge of the American people and the U.S. Congress. The President should not enter into international commitments that require the United States to adopt policies that the American people would oppose on their own.
If the President requests that Congress approve or implement treaties that are in conflict with the Constitution, I will strongly oppose them. For example, I oppose the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea Treaty because it would transfer the rights of the United States to an unelected, unaccountable international body. Similarly, I will support efforts to prevent any U.N. Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty from curtailing the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.
The health care system in the United States has been in need of reform for many years, but Obamacare was not the solution. It has exacerbated problems for many people and created a new set of problems for the country.
Obamacare was passed before its effects were fully appreciated and understood, which is why Senator Johnson introduced legislation, the Truth in Obamacare Accounting Act, which would have required the Congressional Budget Office to estimate the cost of implementing the law and how much it would add to the deficit. This bill did not become law, but time has provided the hard answers to many of the questions.
The current reality is that millions of Americans have lost health care plans they liked and could afford. Many have lost access to their doctors. And the cost of health insurance for millions of families has gone up dramatically — with premiums doubling or tripling for people buying coverage through the individual market since the launch of Obamacare.
In an effort to repair some of the damage of Obamacare and to limit future unintended consequences, Senator Johnson previously introduced two bills – the Preserving Freedom and Choice in Health Care Act and the If You Like Your Health Plan You Can Keep It Act.
Senator Johnson also cosponsored bills that target specific aspects of Obamacare that are not working, such as the medical device tax, which is contributing to the increasing the cost of health care, reducing medical innovation, and driving medical device manufacturing jobs overseas.
Republicans in Congress are working to address the consequences of Obamacare. Senator Johnson believes the best path is to repair the damage done by Obamacare as it has spread through America’s health care and insurance markets, then to transition to a system that actually works for Americans. That means a system based on consumer choice and free markets, which have brought Americans the lowest possible price at the best possible quality in so many other areas.
Meanwhile, there are other opportunities to make Americans healthier. Senator Johnson voted for the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2016, which included a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health. Senator Johnson is a strong proponent of medical research and believes the most effective way to reduce the cost of treating a disease is to cure it. The National Institutes of Health have a leading role in this. Senator Johnson supports those efforts.
When diseases endanger the health of Americans on a sudden and potentially extensive scale, the federal government can delegate emergency funds to respond. This was done with Ebola in 2014. In 2016, a virus again threatened our country, and Senator Johnson introduced a bill to divert remaining funds appropriated but not used to target Ebola to the response and preparedness efforts for the Zika virus. The Response and Safety Act of 2016 would have provided flexibility to use existing, unused funds for Zika efforts.
Trade
Wisconsin grows and manufactures many things that consumers around the world want to buy. That demand helps fuel Wisconsin's state economy and create well-paid jobs. Those jobs, and future job growth, would be at risk if the U.S. withdraws from trade agreements and cedes foreign markets to global competitors.
We live in a global economy. We do not have the luxury of deciding whether or not we wish to compete. We must compete — and Senator Johnson believes America can win that competition. Senator Johnson has a great deal of confidence in American workers, in their ingenuity, and in our ability to successfully compete with anyone in the world. America contains 5% of the world's population, yet we are responsible for more than 20% of the world's total economy. He will support free and fair trade deals that strengthen our economy and provide expanding opportunity.
Across an incredible range of goods and services—from food and forest products to motorcycles and supercomputers—Wisconsin businesses and workers rely on access to world markets. For these reasons, he was proud to have supported the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, the Conference Report for the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, and a Senate resolution supporting a Free Trade Agreement with Taiwan.
Tariffs
Since 2018, Senator Johnson has heard from countless businesses that have described how the government imposition of tariffs has placed their businesses at a disadvantage to their global competitors. For many Wisconsin businesses, the tariffs have resulted in increased prices, layoffs, lost market access, and retaliatory tariffs on their goods. Senator Johnson has conducted oversight on behalf of these businesses to highlight the self-inflicted harm from the trade war and tariffs.
Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce and establish roads. While Senator Johnson is a consistent advocate for reduced federal government spending across all areas of our economy, it’s clear there are a few areas, including transportation infrastructure, in which federal investments should be prioritized.
Senator Johnson agrees with those who argue that America’s once world-class transportation infrastructure system – including airports, roads, bridges, locks, dams, ports and harbors – is slowly but surely crumbling. In the face of this reality, Senator Johnson, like many in Congress, supports investments to maintain and expand America’s infrastructure.
Senator Johnson serves on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. In this role, and on the Senate floor, he has worked on numerous pieces of legislation aimed at improving America’s transportation systems.
Aviation
Senator Johnson is proud of Wisconsin’s aviation sector. Hailing from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, he is thrilled that Oshkosh annually hosts the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture fly-in, an event that attracts thousands of aviation enthusiasts.
Senator Johnson has played a key role in the Senate’s consideration and passage of Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization legislation. The Senator has led efforts to pass legislative language to improve reporting on the implementation of new aviation navigation technology, to prohibit the FAA from charging fly-in events, like EAA AirVenture, for air traffic controllers to work the towers, and to improve drone safety.
Roads, Bridges and Vehicles
Well-maintained roads and bridges are essential for the efficient flow of commerce. The Senator has served on the Senate Commerce Committee for multiple rounds of highway and surface transportation reauthorization legislation. During these legislative processes, he’s supported efforts to streamline federal infrastructure permitting process and to provide commonsense, narrowly-tailored exceptions to highway restrictions.
Senator Johnson is proud to hail from a state with a strong motorcycle tradition. The Senator has led on efforts to discourage motorcycle profiling and motorcycle-only checkpoints, and to reform and reauthorize the Motorcycle Advisory Council (MAC). In 2017, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation named Senator Johnson as their 2017 Motorcycle Legislator of the Year.
Rail
Many Wisconsinites depend upon rail for shipping and their daily commutes. Senator Johnson has consistently supported efforts to ensure that America’s railways are safe and efficient. He has closely followed the implementation of a critical rail safety tool, Positive Train Control, and has urged rail’s regulator, the Surface Transportation Board, to take a balanced, thoughtful approach when considering new regulations. Senator Johnson has also supported federal funding for the popular Hiawatha line, a passenger rail line that connects Milwaukee with Chicago.
Maritime
Bordered by two Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, Wisconsin’s maritime roots run deep. Senator Johnson is proud that Wisconsin is home to many vessel and harbor operators, shipbuilders and maritime suppliers. The Senator has supported federal funding for Great Lakes maritime infrastructure projects and efforts to streamline regulations to ensure free flowing commerce on the Great Lakes.
We owe our respect and our support to the men and women who have volunteered to serve this great nation. Since joining the Senate in 2011, Senator Johnson has pushed for needed reforms in multiple areas to ensure that our veterans, the finest among us, receive the quality care they deserve.
Investigating Abuses at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
In January 2015, Senator Johnson was troubled to hear allegations that some doctors were “dispensing drugs like candy” at the Tomah VA Medical Center in Wisconsin. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC), Senator Johnson immediately launched an investigation.
Over the course of the investigation:
In addition to uncovering abuses at the VA via the HSGAC investigation, Senator Johnson has authored and cosponsored numerous pieces of legislation aimed at bringing accountability to federal agencies, protecting whistleblowers and improving veterans’ health care.