WATCH: Democrat Lunges For The Gavel During Senate Meltdown

A fiery Wisconsin Senate committee hearing on a bill barring public funds from covering health care for illegal immigrants spiraled into chaos when a top Democrat lunged for the chairman’s gavel and hurled insults at Republicans. The hearing, held Sept. 18, centered on a Republican proposal to prohibit state, local, and federal pass-through funds from being used to provide Medicaid or other health benefits to illegal immigrants.

The measure would essentially codify existing restrictions, though Democrats framed it as an attack on vulnerable communities. Tempers boiled over after Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) cited a story about a Milwaukee teacher’s aide he claimed had been deported, lost access to medicine, and died as a result.

Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) echoed the account, dramatically saying, “A person is dead. A person is dead. How many more people do we not know about that are being detained, and they’re being treated this way under President Trump?”

But the story wasn’t true.

The aide, Yessenia Ruano, is alive. She was forced by ICE to self-deport with her children to El Salvador earlier this year, but she did not die.

After the truth came out, Larson issued an apology, “Unfortunately I received some inaccurate information prior to today’s hearing and failed to properly vet that information before making my comments in committee. I strive for accuracy in all of my public statements and to that end I clearly missed the mark today. I apologize for this oversight and will strive to do better in the future.”

Carpenter’s office later insisted he had been referencing a separate NBC News story about a Los Angeles woman who died after deportation, though during the hearing he had described her as a “schoolteacher.”

Committee chairman Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Oconomowoc), a former Senate president, repeatedly banged the gavel to remind Carpenter to keep his comments relevant to the bill. Kapenga objected as Democrats dragged President Trump into the debate, noting, “Gentlemen, that’s outside the scope of the bill.”

WATCH:

Chris Larson and Tim Carpenter made up a ridiculous lie about an MPS employee (who self-deported), then Carpenter became unhinged and tried ripping the gavel out of Kapenga’s hands.

If only Democrats fought for Wisconsinites the way they fight for illegals immigrants. https://t.co/HYrg7ohxII pic.twitter.com/oweBZ9Csbk

— Brooks (@EBrooksUncut) September 20, 2025

But Carpenter grew more heated. He branded the legislation “a bunch of garbage” and accused Republicans of being “cowards.” He argued that blocking public health funds for undocumented immigrants was “unchristian” and “immoral.” Kapenga warned that lawmakers cannot impugn the character of colleagues.

As the exchange escalated, Carpenter stood up, reached across the table, and tried to snatch the gavel from Kapenga’s hands. “Don’t interrupt me,” he barked after repeated taps. “You’re too cowardly to let me speak… the truth about this situation.”

The tense moment, captured on WisconsinEye, quickly went viral. Kapenga eventually shut down the hearing, telling the room, “Gentlemen, we’re done,” as he gaveled out the session.

Bill co-sponsor Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) tried to steer the conversation back to the measure itself, explaining that it merely locks existing policies into law: “It’s not really changing any of the practices that are happening right now, currently. We’re just making sure that we don’t go further with this, like other states have.”

Rep. Alex Dallman (R-Markesan), another co-author, reinforced that the proposal is about preventing Wisconsin from expanding taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants. “This is not changing any law whatsoever,” he said.

Supporters of the bill note that federal law already bars illegal immigrants from Medicaid, aside from limited emergency services. Democrats, however, argue that even reinforcing those rules sends the wrong message.

Kapenga later told Fox News the clash highlights what happens when “measured words” give way to “fear, name-calling, [and] aggression.” He said he wasn’t interested in embarrassing colleagues but in showing why decorum matters.

The gavel-grabbing spectacle underscored growing tensions as Democrats seek to reframe the immigration debate. Rather than arguing policy, Carpenter launched into rants about Trump’s immigration enforcement, mass deportations in the 1950s, and personal attacks on Republicans’ character.

Kapenga, who praised Larson for apologizing once his error became clear, suggested Carpenter’s behavior was a cautionary tale: “We all know the dangerous place that’s leading society. The upswell in the movement Charlie Kirk started shows Americans are passionate about the freedom to debate ideas, not rhetoric and violence.”

Even if the bill clears the GOP-controlled Legislature, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is expected to veto it. Still, Republicans say the episode revealed just how far Democrats are willing to go to protect benefits for those who entered the country illegally.