Baldwin Highlights Support for Fire Departments and Dairy Businesses on ‘Delivering for Wisconsin Tour’ in Wausau and Thorp

WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin continued her Delivering for Wisconsin Tour at the Wausau Fire Department to discuss how federal funding is helping the department hire additional firefighters and her effort to pass legislation to ensure fire departments have the needed equipment, protective gear, and funding. Senator Baldwin then stopped in Thorp to visit Marieke Gouda Cheese Shop to discuss how her Dairy Business Innovation Initiative helped the company respond to market changes and continue to make world-class cheese. Senator Baldwin’s Delivering for Wisconsin Tour is highlighting her work to lower costs for working families, support the Made in Wisconsin economy, and bring home resources to keep Wisconsin communities safe and healthy.

In 2022, the Wausau Fire Department was awarded over $3 million from a federal Staffing for Effective Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to fully fund nine new firefighter positions for three years, allowing them to better meet increasing call demand and responsibilities for emergency response. Senator Baldwin is currently fighting to pass The Fire Grants and Safety Act, legislation that reauthorizes the SAFER grant program, among others, to ensure local fire departments have the proper equipment and personnel.

“Firefighters are the backbone of emergency services in our communities and I am proud to be fighting in Washington to ensure they have the resources and tools they need to keep our communities safe,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am working with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to pass legislation to reauthorize the SAFER grant program to ensure departments across the state have the staff and equipment they need to protect Wisconsinites.”

Senator Baldwin then stopped by Marieke Gouda Cheese Shop in Thorp to discuss how her Dairy Business Innovation Initiative helped the company respond to market changes and purchase equipment needed to package their products in single-serve packages. Senator Baldwin got the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative passed into law in the 2018 Farm Bill and has consistently delivered funding for the program in subsequent years to support the Made in Wisconsin dairy industry. The program helps dairy businesses diversify products, expand markets and customer base, and encourage the use of regional milk production.

“Wisconsin’s dairy businesses are key economic drivers of many of our rural communities and I’m proud to be delivering direct support to ensure they can continue to carry our state’s proud tradition of being America’s Dairyland into the future,” said Senator Baldwin. “It was so wonderful to see my Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives put to work and help this Made in Wisconsin cheesemaker innovate and keep their business moving forward.”

Senator Baldwin will continue her Delivering for Wisconsin Tour on Wednesday, heading to Eau Claire to spotlight her work expanding access to workforce development programs, addressing the labor shortage, and creating good-paying jobs.

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