Lawrence Andrea

@lawrencegandrea.bsky.social

Washington correspondent for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel On X: @lawrencegandrea

Rep. Derrick Van Orden talking on the radio today about Tulsi Gabbard's memo on 2016 election says: “So if Barack Obama is guilty of these things, he needs to be arrested just like they arrested President Trump. I’m sorry to say it, but these people set the precedent."

Last week, before Trump ordered ICE to stop targeting farmworkers (as the NYT and others have reported), I talked to several GOP lawmakers about the open secret that U.S. relies heavily on unauthorized migrant workers. Could Congress finally reform immigration law for them?

Republicans in Congress urge Trump to target criminals, not farmworkers, as ICE arrests increase

WASHINGTON – Amid a recent surge in arrests of immigrants allegedly living in the country illegally, some raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have drawn quiet concern from Republicans in...

spokesman.com

Bryan Steil's congressional district appears on paper to be the better Democratic pickup opportunity, but Derrick Van Orden's district has emerged as Wisconsin’s top battleground seat. Why Democrats see Derrick Van Orden's seat as a richer target than Bryan Steil's: www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...

Why Democrats see Derrick Van Orden's seat as a richer target than Bryan Steil's

In Derrick Van Orden, Democrats see rich target to pick up a Wisconsin congressional seat, even though Bryan Steil's district looks better on paper.

jsonline.com

Wisconsin Republicans enact rules for ousting party officials as grassroots tensions simmer “The continued inflammatory and divisive language being used by some will not help elect Republicans,” said Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming. www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...

Wisconsin Republicans enact rules for ousting party officials as grassroots tensions simmer

Wisconsin Republicans enacted a process to allow the party to remove GOP officials for poor behavior as grassroots tensions continue to boil.

jsonline.com

🚨 House Republicans PUNT on budget vote for Trump's agenda as conservative rebels dig in Johnson pulls the plug, indicating he’ll try again tomorrow. The problem: House conservatives hate the Senate budget and want changes — which could blow it all up. www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...

House Republicans punt on budget vote for Trump's agenda as conservative rebels dig in

GOP leaders failed to win over enough holdouts, forcing them to delay their planned vote on the budget blueprint Wednesday evening.

nbcnews.com

What began as a 2021 campaign trail Twitter fight has evolved into constant attacks between two members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation My look at the worsening relationship between Reps. Derrick Van Orden and Mark Pocan: www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...

Toxic for years, relations between Wisconsin congressmen Van Orden and Pocan just got much worse

The relationship between Van Orden, a Republican, and Pocan, a Democrat, is the most bitter within the Capitol Hill delegation in recent history.

jsonline.com

Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republicans back move to limit judicial power to block Trump “They’ve got to discipline, they’ve got to put some guardrails around this,” Johnson said Thursday of injunctions on Trump orders. “This is getting completely out of control.” www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...

Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republicans back move to limit judicial power to block Trump

Top Wisconsin Republicans including Ron Johnson, Derrick Van Orden and Tom Tiffany back efforts to limit federal judges' power to thwart Trump.

jsonline.com

I talked with several of the roughly 1,700 VA employees who were fired in February, supposedly to improve efficiency, and are now being paid not to work as court cases play out. They include an HVAC technician who likely saved taxpayers >$10 million and a pharmacy worker who helped save $775k.

They were fired in the name of efficiency based on 'a lie.' Now the VA is paying them not to work

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. – The night before Valentine’s Day, Ricky Noschese and his wife Laurie left their jobs at a military and veterans hospital and stopped to pick up a heart-shaped chocolate cake to s...

spokesman.com

NEW: The @nytimes.com spoke with Ranjani Srinivasan, the Columbia student from India who fled to Canada. ICE came looking for her after her visa was revoked. “I’m just surprised that I’m a person of interest,” she said. “I’m kind of a rando." www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/n...

How a Columbia Student Fled to Canada After ICE Came Looking for Her

Ranjani Srinivasan’s student visa was revoked by U.S. immigration authorities. That was just the start of her odyssey.

nytimes.com

New: Tim Walz is planning to hold a town hall-style event in Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s district in Eau Claire, WI, on Tuesday. Part of swing highlighting Rs not hosting in-person town halls. He’s also expected to talk about state Supreme Court race: www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...

Tim Walz to hold town hall-style event in Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden's district

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will return to Wisconsin next week as part of a tour to highlight Republicans who have stopped holding in-person town halls.

jsonline.com

My latest for the @ajc.com: A deep dive into the campaign spending of former U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, who after announcing his retirement kept up a busy scheduled that included high-end hotels, thousands of dollars in flights and even concert tickets. (w/ Phoebe Quinton) www.ajc.com/politics/on-...

Former US Rep. Drew Ferguson's campaign donation spending raises questions

Despite being the only member of Georgia’s U.S. House delegation not on the 2024 ballot, Ferguson outspent almost a third of his colleagues after his retirement announcement.

ajc.com

Rep. Derrick Van Orden today opened his tele-town hall saying he won’t hold in-person town halls because there is “a group of George Soros-funded agitators going around the country” disrupting GOP town halls. “I’m not going to allow them to do that," he said.

Behind the scenes of the state Supreme Court race, a 'turf war' simmers between Wisconsin GOP and Turning Point "There’s a war. It’s a quiet war. Nobody’s really paying attention to the war. But there’s a war going on." www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...

Behind the scenes of the Supreme Court race, a 'turf war' simmers between Wisconsin GOP and Turning Point

Behind the scenes of a tough race for Wisconsin Supreme Court, a turf battle is playing out in the GOP as the group Turning Point seeks influence.

jsonline.com