Congressman Mark Pocan was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s second congressional district in 2013 following 14 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly. A small business owner, union member, and lifelong advocate for progressive causes, Rep. Pocan is committed to using his life experience to fight for policies that promote economic and social justice and support the families of south central Wisconsin.
In the 117th Congress, he serves on the House Appropriations Committee where he sits on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee; the Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee; and the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. He also serves on the House Education and Labor Committee and the Joint Economic Committee.
Wisconsin is “America’s Dairyland.” We are the national leader in dairy production and a leading agricultural state. Wisconsin is home to nearly 78,000 farms statewide, 99% of which are family-owned according to the United States Department of Agriculture. I am dedicated to protecting America’s family farmers and ensuring that the country is able to provide quality food for all of its citizens.
The Farm Bill affects each and every Wisconsinite and I support legislation that is comprehensive and respectful of the needs of family farmers, the environment, and the well-being of all Americans. However, I strongly oppose cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). These programs are a vital lifeline to help lift families out of severe poverty and allow families to use their income to invest in their future and support their local farmers and economy.
As a current member of the Joint Economic Committee and a former Chair of the Joint Finance Committee in the Wisconsin State Assembly, I believe our budgets should serve as a reflection of our values.
I support a budget that makes investments in our future generations and protects programs that advance our entire society. I believe our budget should strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and invest in job growth through infrastructure, education, and research and development, while responsibly reducing our deficits and cutting wasteful spending and redundant programs where they exist.
The public education system has provided generations of Americans with the skills needed to make the United States the world’s leading innovator of the past century. As a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, I want to ensure our children and grandchildren can continue to have access to the highest quality public education, preparing them to be competitive in today’s globalized economy.
I am committed to investing in education to provide future generations with the tools they need to become leaders. I support efforts to modernize our classrooms, reduce class sizes, enhance special education programs, provide students with access to affordable higher education opportunities, and ensure America has the best-trained and most qualified teachers. I believe investing in the public education system is one of the best ways to help America become more productive and competitive.
Pre-K education is vital to our children’s cognitive development and I support the efforts to establish universal pre-k. Making pre-k education more accessible will allow our children to thrive in our nation’s educational system.
College can open up many opportunities and I believe we have a responsibility to make higher education affordable for the next generation. Unfortunately, a quality, affordable college education is growing further out of reach for too many in this country. Our nation is facing a rising student debt crisis due to increasing tuition costs, out of control interest rates, and the difficult job market facing recent graduates. While students struggle to make loan payments, they are prevented from actively contributing to our economy. I support a number of initiatives aimed at forgiving a portion of student loan debt and allowing students to refinance their federal student loans, freeing up funds to buy a house, get a new car, support a family, and pursue greater economic opportunities.
At a time when we see the effects of global warming in our daily lives, I believe that making the country more energy efficient will not only reduce our carbon footprint but also will position the U.S. to thrive in a twenty-first-century economy. I am committed to preserving our environment through investments in clean energy capabilities. I subscribe to the notion that if we make investments in the short term, we can ultimately make our energy use more efficient in the long term. My goal is to modernize our energy technology through research and development of new technologies so that we can continue to create and manufacture goods while reducing harmful pollution and saving consumers money.
By reducing our carbon footprint, we also help preserve Wisconsin’s treasured natural resources. The Second District is filled with beautiful state parks such as Devil’s Lake in Sauk County, the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, and the Ice Age Trail in Dane County. In addition, Wisconsin’s lakes, rivers, streams, and natural prairie land have vital economic and cultural importance. I am dedicated to preserving our natural habitats and keeping our lakes and waterways clean so that future generations can continue to enjoy these landscapes.
I'm proud to support a number of initiatives aimed at addressing the climate crisis, establishing energy independence, and reducing pollution.
I am proud to serve as Co-Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, helping to lead more than 100 caucus members on civil rights and equality issues. I am a leading co-sponsor of the Equality Act, legislation that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex. I am also a sponsor of the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, a bill to prevent discrimination at colleges and universities, and the Restore Honor to Service Members Act, a bill to restore the status and benefits of service members discharged due to their sexual orientation.
During the Trump Administration, I strongly opposed the numerous attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, from the transgender military ban, to discriminatory adoption practices. I will always support our nation's LGBTQ+ youth, who face relentless efforts to silence and alienate them, particularly on the state level through bills like Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law. Our kids should always feel safe to be who they are, and that includes while they're at school.
I have been an original cosponsor of the Medicare for All bill in Congress since I was first elected in 2013. I believe that healthcare is a human right and every single person in America deserves access to affordable high-quality healthcare. That is why I worked as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to grow support for Medicare for all and bringing the number of cosponsors from 63 in 2013 to over 100 in 2020.
Wisconsin is a national leader in quality accessible healthcare. I believe we must continue to expand and innovate within our healthcare system to provide all Wisconsinites access to health insurance and healthcare that meets their needs. Until Medicare for All becomes the law of the land, I continue to support expanding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to provide Wisconsinites with access to affordable, quality healthcare. Because of the ACA, individuals with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied coverage and 105 million Americans have gained access to free preventative care, including recommended cancer screenings and immunizations. I am committed to working with my colleagues on ways to strengthen and improve the ACA, but I refuse to support any legislation that guts the law for political purposes. Ensuring that all families and businesses in Wisconsin have the security of cost-effective health insurance without sacrificing the quality of care is one of my highest priorities.
As a lifelong owner of a union printing business, a staunch defender of worker’s rights, and a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, I believe Congress has a responsibility to take proactive and commonsense measures that can provide business owners with certainty, promote economic growth, and create jobs for Wisconsinites. Additionally, I am the co-founder of the Congressional Labor Caucus, which was established to advance the needs of the labor movement, combat the issues facing working families, and connect legislators directly with unions and union leaders.
I am a strong proponent of raising the federal minimum wage and protecting workers' rights to organize through the PRO Act. Everyone deserves dignity in the workplace.
I emphasize the need to maintain peace and security at home and abroad through diplomacy whenever possible, and I remain committed to ensuring Wisconsin’s 400,000 veterans get the benefits they have earned. When our brave men and women return from foreign conflicts and retire from the military, the U.S. has a duty to provide them the support and care they deserve. I am committed to ending the VA backlog and support efforts that would allow the VA to streamline its services and serve veterans most in need.
I believe our country must maintain a proper balance between security and liberty. I am committed to protecting the privacy, security, and wellbeing of all Americans, and that means defending Americans from all types of threats. I founded the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus with Representative Barbara Lee, because our defense budget continues to grow without addressing real, everyday threats like cybersecurity attacks, pandemics, and climate change. If we want to address national security, we must reduce waste, fraud, and abuse, and expand our definition of defense to include all types of threats.
I am a leader in the fight to ensure that every American can vote without fear of disenfranchisement. I believe a country built on the foundation of civic participation should never tolerate any politically-motivated threats to our ability to express our views at the polls. Recent attempts to intimidate voters and sow doubt in our democracy cannot be left unchecked.
I have always supported the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, along with the Freedom to Vote Act, and other similar bills. I support legislation that explicitly guarantees the right to vote in the Constitution, providing all Americans the affirmative right to vote, and empowering Congress to protect this right. A voting rights amendment would positively affirm our founding principle that our country is at its strongest when everyone participates.
In Congress, I have made the protection of critical programs for our seniors such as Social Security and Medicare one of my top priorities. The support that these programs offer has lifted millions of seniors out of poverty and provided financial security for many of our most vulnerable citizens. I believe we cannot balance the budget on the backs of our seniors. Any changes to these programs should be to make them stronger or expand them—not to cut benefits.
Our seniors continue to be pinched, and Social Security oftentimes makes up a significant portion of their revenue. In fact, one third of our seniors live almost exclusively on their social security checks. Expanding and strengthening the program will provide our seniors with greater economic security while providing a boost to our overall economy.
Medicare has helped seniors and persons with disabilities receive appropriate healthcare, and it has done so with far lower administrative costs than private insurance. Our senior citizens cannot afford to lose the health and economic security protections that Medicare provides. I will do everything I can to protect this essential program.
I strongly support the basic guarantee of the Social Security and Medicare programs; a solid and stable foundation for retirement security is a right not a privilege.