Congress Monitor Build Handoff

Area: Full Workup (one official, all sections) (eo_full_workup) Filed: 2026-04-28T08:35:44.298Z Source: External LLM via /handoff/congress (attempt #58885) Resolved official: Tony Wied (entity #10874) Ingest result: 2 silences · 35 sources · 34 facts · 2 contradictions · 6 voting_records

Briefing Sent

Single super-prompt covering every per-official research area in one LLM call: donor mapping, silences, contradictions, telling votes, and constituency baseline. The LLM returns ONE JSON object; the ingest pipeline dispatches each section to its typed table independently, so a malformed or no-data section never blocks the rest.

Result

{ "target_official": { "name": "Tony Wied", "bioguide_id": "W000829" }, "donor_mapping": { "facts": [ { "fact_text": "2023-2024 cycle: Raised $1,561,211 with 39.10% self-financing ($610,585). Top industry: Retired ($168,857). Top contributor: Wg&R Furniture ($24,133, all individuals). PAC contributions: $332,850 (21.32%). Debts: $620,408.", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00055013&cycle=2024" }, { "fact_text": "Major PAC contributors in 2023-2024: American Revival PAC ($20,000), Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans ($20,000), Schneider National ($2,500 PAC). Outside spending: Speak Free or Die PAC spent $693,189 supporting Wied.", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00055013&cycle=2024" }, { "fact_text": "Q1 2026 FEC disclosure: $156,000 raised. Wied also loaned his campaign $1,085,000 in the 2024 cycle. Net worth estimated at $8.9 million with approximately $636,400 in publicly traded assets.", "date_occurred": "2026-04-15", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H4MT02098/?cycle=2024&election_full=false" }, { "fact_text": "Wied Oil Co., then owned by Tony Wied, received a $342,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan in April 2020 that was fully forgiven in January 2021. The loan was used for payroll for the company's convenience store gas stations.", "date_occurred": "2021-01-31", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://wisconsinwatch.org/2024/07/wisconsin-wied-loan-republican-candidate-congress/" }, { "fact_text": "Wied reported at least $1.3 million in stock trades in February 2026 alone, across 25 separate transactions. His largest single transaction was a purchase of $500,000-$1,000,000 in U.S. Treasury bills. Companies traded include Broadcom, Micron Technology, Western Alliance Bancorporation, Salesforce, Arista Networks, Lam Research, ServiceNow, Trade Desk, and Take-Two Interactive.", "date_occurred": "2026-03-09", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/wealthy-us-rep-wied-keeps-aggressively-trading-stocks-bipartisan-bill-would-ban-practice" }, { "fact_text": "Wied purchased between $1 million and $5 million in U.S. Treasury bills in early 2026, moving assets into safer instruments amid market downturn concerns.", "date_occurred": "2026-01-13", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://thebadgerproject.org/2026/01/13/aggressive-stock-trading-wisconsin-politician-puts-at-least-1m-in-safer-t-bills/" }, { "fact_text": "In the 2024 general election, Wied defeated Democrat Kristin Lyerly 57.3% to 42.6% to win the open WI-08 seat vacated by Rep. Mike Gallagher.", "date_occurred": "2024-11-05", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://fox11online.com/newsletter-daily/rep-tony-wied-says-hell-run-again-in-26-after-two-democrats-recently-declared-8th-congressional-district-rick-crosson-mark-scheffler" } ], "connections": [ { "donor_entity_name": "National Assn of Realtors", "relationship_type": "pac_donor", "description": "2023-2024: Real Estate industry contributed $37,193 total to Wied's campaign; NAR is the dominant PAC in this sector nationally.", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00055013&cycle=2024" }, { "donor_entity_name": "American Bankers Assn", "relationship_type": "pac_donor", "description": "Leadership PAC sector contributed $154,200 to Wied's campaign; ABA is a primary leadership PAC donor to House Republicans.", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00055013&cycle=2024" } ] }, "silences": [ { "topic": "In-person constituent town halls — refused throughout freshman term", "expected_position": "As the representative for 742,398 constituents in Wisconsin's 8th District, Wied would be expected to hold accessible in-person town halls to hear constituent concerns, particularly during debate on the FY2025 budget reconciliation bill that directly affected district healthcare and SNAP recipients.", "window_start": "2024-11-12", "window_end": "2026-04-28", "evidence_summary": "Wied has held only tele-town halls (March 10, 2025; January 12, 2026) — never an in-person public forum. On March 26, 2025, approximately 80 protesters gathered outside his De Pere office demanding face-to-face meetings. On April 14, 2025, over 100 constituents gathered for a town hall featuring a cardboard cutout labeled 'Cardboard Tony.' On September 1, 2025, Democrats held a town hall to decry his absence. Wied defended the telephone format, calling the protest group Indivisible a 'dark money, far-left activist organization.' He remained active during this window — voting, issuing press releases, and introducing legislation — but has not explained his refusal to hold in-person town halls beyond a safety concern cited by other GOP colleagues.", "primary_url": "https://fox11online.com/news/local/tony-wied-and-republicans-defend-virtual-town-halls-while-protesters-call-for-in-person-events" }, { "topic": "Refusal to comment on ICE shooting of Green Bay constituent Alex Pretti", "expected_position": "As the congressman for Wisconsin's 8th District, Wied would be expected to issue a public statement when a constituent—Alex Pretti, a graduate of Green Bay Preble High School and a VA ICU nurse—was fatally shot by ICE/Border Patrol agents during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis in January 2026.", "window_start": "2026-01-24", "window_end": "2026-01-31", "evidence_summary": "Wied was highly vocal on immigration enforcement throughout this period, introducing the SAFE Cities Act, issuing multiple press releases, and actively posting on social media about border security. When FOX 11 reached out to Wied for comment on the Pretti shooting, his office did not respond. The WisDems reported Wied was 'refusing to comment or even offer condolences' while previously blaming Democrats for violence by ICE. His silence on the death of a constituent from his own district while being vocal on immigration generally constitutes a notable silence.", "primary_url": "https://wisdems.org/wisdems-news/icymi-rep-tony-wied-refuses-to-comment-on-green-bay-high-school-graduate-who-was-executed-by-ice/" } ], "contradictions": { "claims": [ { "claim_text": "Wied claimed during his 2024 campaign that fundraising is difficult for him because he has 'never really asked anyone for help.' — Heartland Signal / WisDems report.", "claim_date": "2024-10-29", "claim_type": "statement", "source_url": "https://heartlandsignal.com/" }, { "claim_text": "Wied's company, Wied Oil Co. LLC, received a $342,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan in April 2020 that was fully forgiven by the federal government in January 2021.", "claim_date": "2021-01-31", "claim_type": "disclosure", "source_url": "https://wisconsinwatch.org/2024/07/wisconsin-wied-loan-republican-candidate-congress/" }, { "claim_text": "Wied stated during his 2024 campaign: 'I would never do anything to pull that [the Affordable Care Act], but I would be in favor of reducing costs for people in some way' — Fox 11 News interview, October 2024.", "claim_date": "2024-10-28", "claim_type": "statement", "source_url": "https://meetthefreshmen.marathonstrategies.com/meet-the-freshmen/881/tony-wied/" }, { "claim_text": "On May 22, 2025, Wied voted Yea on H.R. 1, the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' — the FY2025 budget reconciliation package that, per the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, would strip health insurance from 270,000 Wisconsinites and cut SNAP benefits for 375,000 families.", "claim_date": "2025-05-22", "claim_type": "vote", "source_url": "https://americanbridgepac.org/person/tony-wied/" } ], "contradictions": [ { "claim_a_idx": 0, "claim_b_idx": 1, "type": "statement_vs_disclosure", "severity": "high", "narrative": "Wied publicly claimed he 'never really asked anyone for help' while his own company received and had forgiven a $342,000 federal PPP loan — a direct request for and receipt of government assistance. Both sources are independently verifiable from different outlets (Heartland Signal / WisDems and Wisconsin Watch, verifying ProPublica's PPP database)." }, { "claim_a_idx": 2, "claim_b_idx": 3, "type": "statement_vs_disclosure", "severity": "high", "narrative": "Wied pledged he 'would never do anything to pull' the Affordable Care Act, yet voted for the Big Beautiful Bill that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services projects will strip health insurance from 270,000 Wisconsinites. The ACA subsidies and Medicaid coverage affected by the bill are core components of the ACA framework. Both sources are from independent outlets (Meet the Freshmen/Fox 11 and American Bridge PAC, citing WI DHS analysis)." } ] }, "telling_votes": [ { "bill_id": "H.R. 1 (119th Congress)", "title": "One Big Beautiful Bill Act (FY2025 Budget Reconciliation)", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2025-05-22", "roll_call_url": "https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025190", "why_it_matters": "Wied voted Yea on Trump's signature reconciliation bill (218-214). The Wisconsin Department of Health Services projects the bill will strip health insurance from 270,000 Wisconsinites and cut SNAP for 375,000 families. WI-08 has 8.27% poverty rate and a median household income of $78,966, with significant rural and working-class populations who rely on ACA subsidies and Medicaid. Wied celebrated the bill while constituents at town halls voiced opposition to safety-net cuts, creating cross-pressure between party loyalty and constituent healthcare access.", "category": "cross_pressure" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 29 (119th Congress)", "title": "Laken Riley Act", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2025-01-07", "roll_call_url": "https://justfacts.votesmart.org/bill/33067/98312/166483/laken-riley-act", "why_it_matters": "Wied voted Yea on mandatory ICE detention for undocumented immigrants charged with theft (264-159). WI-08 is 97.9% citizen and only 3.88% foreign-born, with a 6.53% Hispanic population — among the lowest immigration exposure of any district. The vote aligned with Trump's border-security messaging but has minimal direct constituent impact. Wied prominently touted this vote in constituent communications.", "category": "constituent_aligned" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 8281 (118th Congress)", "title": "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act of 2024", "vote": "yea_unverified", "vote_date": "2025-04-10", "roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8281", "why_it_matters": "Wied voted Yea and later touted this vote in constituent updates, writing 'we took it even further by passing the SAVE America Act, which requires voter ID for federal elections' in February 2026. The bill requires documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. WI-08's Native American and Hispanic populations may face disproportionate barriers to the documentation requirements.", "category": "cross_pressure" }, { "bill_id": "S. 1071 (119th Congress)", "title": "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2025-12-10", "roll_call_url": "https://scorecard.cwa-union.org/vote/156123/rep-tony-wied", "why_it_matters": "Wied voted Yea on the NDAA. Notably, the House-passed NDAA included Section 1110 restoring collective bargaining rights for civilian DoD employees — a provision labor unions supported. Wied's Yea vote on a bill with a pro-union provision is notable given his otherwise pro-business voting record, though the overall defense bill was a party-line priority.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 23 (119th Congress)", "title": "Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act (ICC Sanctions)", "vote": "yea_unverified", "vote_date": "2025-01-09", "roll_call_url": "https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/23", "why_it_matters": "Wied voted Yea to sanction the International Criminal Court over arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. No significant pro-Israel donor interest appears in Wied's top contributor list. The vote reflects ideological alignment with Trump/GOP foreign policy rather than a donor-constituent tension. WI-08 has no identifiable constituency interest in ICC policy.", "category": "party_defection" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 471 (119th Congress)", "title": "Lower Healthcare Premiums for All Americans Act", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2025-12-17", "roll_call_url": "https://scorecard.cwa-union.org/vote/156124/rep-tony-wied", "why_it_matters": "Wied voted Yea on a bill expanding Association Health Plans and CHOICE Arrangements — alternatives that critics say shift costs to workers and allow stripped-down plans that bypass ACA essential health benefits. This is directly relevant to his campaign pledge not to undermine the ACA, and to his own enrollment in an ACA exchange plan.", "category": "cross_pressure" } ], "constituency_baseline": { "baseline": { "district_summary": "Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District encompasses the northeastern portion of the state, including Green Bay, Appleton, De Pere, the Door County peninsula, and parts of the Northwoods up to Marinette. With a population of 742,398 and a Cook PVI of R+10 to R+15, it is a solidly Republican district that has not elected a Democrat since 2008. The district is 84.9% White (non-Hispanic), 6.53% Hispanic, with only 3.88% foreign-born — among the lowest immigration exposure in the country. Median household income is $78,966 (well above the national median), homeownership is 72.8%, and the poverty rate is 5.6-8.27%. Median age is 41, skewing older than the national median. Key industries include paper manufacturing (Wisconsin is the #1 paper-producing state, and about half of the state's 30,000 paper workers are in Winnebago, Outagamie, and Brown counties), food processing, shipbuilding, agriculture (dairy), healthcare, and tourism. The district is anchored by the Green Bay-Appleton metropolitan corridor. Wied won the seat in 2024 with 57.3% of the vote, succeeding retiring Republican Mike Gallagher.", "top_employers": [ { "name": "Bellin Health (Green Bay)", "employees": 5000, "source_url": "https://tina.dallairerealty.com/the-largest-employers-in-green-bay-wi/" }, { "name": "Schneider National (Green Bay)", "employees": 3500, "source_url": "https://tina.dallairerealty.com/the-largest-employers-in-green-bay-wi/" }, { "name": "Green Bay Packaging", "employees": 4500, "source_url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wisconsin-companies-among-forbes-best-110000576.html" }, { "name": "Schreiber Foods (Green Bay)", "employees": 4000, "source_url": "https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/money/companies/2025/02/24/forbes-best-employers-2025-list-wisconsin-green-bay/79887300007/" }, { "name": "Kwik Trip / Kwik Star (regional HQ)", "employees": 27500, "source_url": "https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2025/09/09/forbes-best-wisconsin-employers-2025-list/82336608007/" } ], "dominant_industries": [ { "naics": "31-33 - Manufacturing (paper, food processing, shipbuilding)", "share": 0.20, "source_url": "https://www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/services/economic/region" }, { "naics": "62 - Health Care and Social Assistance", "share": 0.16, "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-8-wi" }, { "naics": "44-45 - Retail Trade", "share": 0.12, "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-8-wi" }, { "naics": "11 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting (dairy, corn, soybeans)", "share": 0.08, "source_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin%27s_8th_congressional_district" }, { "naics": "72 - Accommodation and Food Services (tourism in Door County, Green Bay)", "share": 0.10, "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-8-wi" } ], "recent_ballot_measures": [ { "name": "Wisconsin Question 1 — Ban on Private and Non-Governmental Funding of Election Administration Amendment (April 2024)", "year": 2024, "result": "passed", "margin": "54% Yes to 46% No (638,555 to 534,612)", "source_url": "https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_2024_ballot_measures" }, { "name": "Wisconsin Question 2 — Only Designated Election Officials to Conduct Elections Amendment (April 2024)", "year": 2024, "result": "passed", "margin": "59% Yes to 41% No (685,806 to 483,900)", "source_url": "https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_2024_ballot_measures" }, { "name": "Wisconsin Question 1 — Prohibit Legislature from Delegating Appropriations Power Amendment (August 2024)", "year": 2024, "result": "failed", "margin": "43% Yes to 57% No (521,022 to 703,461)", "source_url": "https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_2024_ballot_measures" }, { "name": "Wisconsin Question 2 — Require Legislative Approval for State Expenditure of Federal Funds Amendment (August 2024)", "year": 2024, "result": "failed", "margin": "42% Yes to 58% No (520,778 to 705,591)", "source_url": "https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_2024_ballot_measures" } ], "demographic_anchors": [ { "label": "Median Household Income", "value": "$78,966 (national: $78,538; well above $37,585 national median per ACS)", "source_url": "https://legisletter.org/legislator/tony-wied-W000829/district" }, { "label": "Population (2024 ACS)", "value": "742,398", "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-8-wi" }, { "label": "Median Age", "value": "41 (national: 38.5); largest cohort 60-69 at 13.5%", "source_url": "https://legisletter.org/legislator/tony-wied-W000829/district" }, { "label": "Poverty Rate", "value": "5.6% (LegisLetter); 8.27% (DataUSA 2024)", "source_url": "https://legisletter.org/legislator/tony-wied-W000829/district" }, { "label": "Homeownership Rate", "value": "72.8% (national avg. 65.5%); median home value $249,300", "source_url": "https://legisletter.org/legislator/tony-wied-W000829/district" }, { "label": "Racial/Ethnic Composition", "value": "84.9% White (non-Hispanic), 6.53% Hispanic, remainder Asian/Black/Native American", "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-8-wi" }, { "label": "Cook Partisan Voting Index", "value": "R+10 (2022); R+15 (2024 LegisLetter estimate); Wied won by 14.7 points in 2024", "source_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin%27s_8th_congressional_district" }, { "label": "Foreign-Born Population", "value": "3.88% (28,800 residents); 97.9% U.S.-citizen", "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/congressional-district-8-wi" }, { "label": "Bachelor's Degree or Higher", "value": "29.7% (national avg. 33.7%)", "source_url": "https://legisletter.org/legislator/tony-wied-W000829/district" } ] } } }