Wisconsin State Sen. Dianne Hesselbein proposes fully taxing federal payments to Jan. 6 rioters
Leading Wisconsin Senate Democrat Dianne Hesselbein proposes 100% state tax on President Donald Trump’s financial handouts to Jan. 6 rioters.
On Wednesday, Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) proposed legislation to tax Wisconsinites who receive payments from President Donald Trump’s new “Anti-Weaponization Fund” at 100%.
Dubbed the “No Taxpayer Dollars for Insurrectionists Act,” the legislation would levy a 100% state income tax on any fund payouts distributed to Wisconsin residents.
“This is the height of corruption, and a dangerous misuse of public funds. Wisconsin taxpayers should not be forced to reward political violence and attacks on our democracy,” Hesselbein said in a statement. “This bill would create a 100% Wisconsin state income tax on any payouts received from this slush fund. Put simply – if you’re from Wisconsin and you stormed the Capitol, you will not receive money from the slush fund.”
Because Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature, Hesselbein’s bill does not have a clear path to becoming law. If Republicans refuse to even discuss the bill, which they have done with the vast majority of Democratic written bills in recent years, Democrats can tie the state GOP to the controversial federal fund that is even struggling to garner support from MAGA voters. A recent poll from the Economist/YouGov found that 45% of MAGA supporters oppose the fund.
Trump’s “slush fund”
The Trump administration announced the $1.776 billion fund on May 18, as part of a settlement in exchange for the president dropping his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Trump launched the lawsuit after he said the IRS failed to prevent his tax information from leaking to the public. The administration plans to use the money to financially compensate “victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”
“The use of government power to target individuals or entities for improper and unlawful political, personal, or ideological reasons should not be tolerated by any Administration,” said Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter.
Although it remains unclear who is eligible to receive payments, Democrats and watchdog groups have labeled it an unconstitutional “slush fund,” and a corrupt handout to Trump’s allies, potentially including convicted Jan. 6 rioters.
“This is one of the single most corrupt acts in American history,” Donald Sherman, the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told AP News.
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who is also an expert in constitutional law, listed 10 reasons why the fund is illegal, including that it violates Congress’s power to appropriate federal dollars. While several congressional Republicans have called for restrictions or eliminating the fund altogether, GOP opposition will likely draw Trump’s disapproval and hurt their reelection chances. Despite the fund’s disapproval from a majority of Republican voters, the GOP-led House Appropriations Committee rejected a Democratic amendment to prevent elected officials from receiving payments from the fund.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), who is the Republican frontrunner in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race in 2026, also approved the anti-weaponization fund. During a WisPolitics luncheon on Tuesday, Tiffany said he believes only individuals who assaulted law enforcement officers on Jan. 6 should be barred from payments.
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