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Monday, Oct 5, 2026

Has Tom Tiffany supported defunding the police?

Tom Kertscher / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch
no

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, has not supported defunding the police — an effort to reduce law enforcement funding by shifting it to other programs.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic nominee, claimed Tiffany voted six times to defund the police. 

None of those House votes would have taken money away from law enforcement.

Tiffany voted against a bill that would have directly funded local police departments.

Other measures he opposed were different, including: 

  • Funding more than a dozen federal agencies, including NASA and the Commerce and Justice departments.
  • Health and Human Services grants for violence intervention programs.
  • Grants for mental health professionals, rather than law enforcement, to respond to certain emergencies.

We found no evidence that Tiffany backed reducing police funding.

In 2022, Tiffany said “it’s time to stop the defund the police movement.” In 2026 he criticized the movement.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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