ICYMI: Baldwin Talks Trump’s Tariffs, Medicaid Cuts, and Endangered Food Assistance with Stops Across Wisconsin

WISCONSIN – This week, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) stopped in Saukville, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Rhinelander, Merrill, and Wausau to connect directly with Wisconsin families, communities, and businesses struggling to deal with President Donald Trump’s trade war jacking up costs, Republicans advancing a plan to cut Medicaid, and Elon Musk and DOGE taking away food assistance to pay for their massive tax breaks.

Senator Baldwin celebrated 414 Day with a stop at Lakefront Brewing Company in Milwaukee to host a roundtable with local brewers, restaurants, farmers, roofers, and autobody shop owners to talk about how President Trump’s trade policy has sent their costs skyrocketing and made it harder to plan for the future. Small business owners shared how Trump’s trade war is increasing input costs, forcing them to raise prices on customers, and increasing uncertainty is making it harder to grow their businesses and make long-term investments. On Thursday, Senator Baldwin also joined local officials and business owners in Merrill to tour their Main Street and learn how small businesses are being impacted by rising costs from President Trump’s tariff policy.

“President Trump came into office promising to lower costs for Wisconsinites. Instead, his trade war is landing families and businesses alike with higher costs that make it harder to make ends meet and keep their doors open,” said Senator Baldwin. “This week, I’ve been meeting with small businesses across the state to understand how Donald Trump is single-handedly raising costs on families and making it next to impossible for Made in Wisconsin businesses to plan and grow for the future.”

Senator Baldwin also continued her “Hands Off Medicaid” tour with stops in Green Bay and Wausau, meeting with Wisconsinites who rely on Medicaid for essential health care, including for family members living with disabilities and mental health care. Last week, Congressional Republicans advanced their budget plan that includes up to $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid, all to pay for tax breaks for big corporations.

“My phones have been ringing off the hook with Wisconsinites worried about what Republicans’ budget cuts will mean for their families who need Medicaid to afford cancer treatments, home care for loved ones with disabilities, and treatment for their addiction,” said Senator Baldwin. “Medicaid is a lifeline for over one million Wisconsinites, and I’m fighting tooth and nail to protect it from the deep cuts Republicans have outlined to pay for their tax cuts for Wall Street and corporations.”

Senator Baldwin also visited the Rhinelander Food Pantry to discuss how the Trump Administration’s cuts to critical food assistance programs, including the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), are endangering Wisconsin food banks’ ability to feed families in need. According to the Rhinelander Food Pantry, cuts in funding for both programs is threatening more than one-third of their capacity. Rhinelander Food Pantry serves over 750 households and over 1,500 individuals in their area. Baldwin also visited the Ozaukee Food Alliance in Saukville to hear firsthand how Trump’s cuts to TEFAP will mean fewer meals for vulnerable children and families in Southeastern Wisconsin.

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