Sen. Baldwin discusses paper mill sales, budget crisis

Sen. Tammy Baldwin says the Wausau Paper mills up for sale in our area are being discussed at a federal level.

Newsline 9 asked Baldwin about the mills when she made a stop in our area Tuesday.

Wausau Paper officials announced the decision to sell the mills earlier this year. The mills are located in Mosinee and Rhinelander in addition to one in Minnesota.

Sen. Baldwin says the situation is definitely on the radar of federal officials.

"We've seen way too many instances our trading competitors are frankly cheating," said Baldwin. "So we know if we have a level playing field that our workers will compete well."

Baldwin was in Stevens Point taking part in a roundtable discussion about cuts to programs that benefit senior citizens. She also commented on the current debate about the automatic budget cuts that are set to take effect in a few days.

"Frankly, as a new member of the U.S. Senate, I am tired of living cliff to cliff, crisis to crisis," she said. "We need to have a planful and reliable way of dealing with our budget challenges on an annual basis that looks out beyond the one year time horizon but what our fiscal future is going to look like."

Baldwin was elected to the U.S. Senate in November.