All five of Wisconsin's Republican congressmen backed the Ryan budget, but state Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, a notorious right-wing provocateur who last week announced plans to challenge 35-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Marinette, in the August primary, suggested the plan was not bold enough.

Grothman conceded he was not familiar enough with the proposed budget to say how he would vote, but said he knew it didn’t cut as much as he would like.

“It maybe cuts by Capital Times standards,” he scoffed. “Their idea of cutting is not the normal idea of cutting.”

The fiery conservative, who has sparked controversy over remarks he has made on a range of issues, has made attacking the “dependency culture” of social programs a central message of his campaign against Petri, who is reliably Republican on most issues but has had a soft spot for spending on transportation and education.

The vote on Ryan's plan in the House is intended to be a display of Republican unity in support of a budget. The measure has no chance of passing the Senate, which Democrats control.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.