Fifth District Congressional Candidate Palzewicz agrees with Joe Biden's approach to fighting the virus, which calls for “a decisive public health response" to curb the spread and a decisive economic plan that delivers real relief.

Brookfield, WI – Americans are tired of the lies and denial of the Covid-19 pandemic coming out of the White House and the Republican Party, but Democrat Tom Palzewicz, running for the Fifth Congressional District seat in Washington, promises transparency and empathy in working for a clear national plan to help.

Palzewicz agrees with Joe Biden's approach to fighting the virus, which calls for “a decisive public health response to curb the spread of this disease and provide treatment to those in need — as well as a decisive economic response that delivers real relief to American workers, families, and small businesses, and protects the economy as a whole.”

Palzewicz is ready to roll up his sleeves and work for Wisconsin by promoting bi-partisan cooperation and discussion.

“The Republican response in Wisconsin, led by Scott Fitzgerald, has been to file a lawsuit and have the Wisconsin Supreme Court do the legislating,” said Palzewicz. “There was no discussion, or debate on the floor of the legislature, no kind of democratic process. That is not how government is supposed to work. It is, however, the way Donald Trump works and the Republicans are all too eager to fall in line and do his bidding. This kind of action goes beyond mere denial of the truth or the scientific facts of the matter—it's pure political bullying.”

Palzewicz promises to face the pandemic issue head-on and help the country form and effective crisis response, based on solid scientific fact to fight the disease and a well-designed plan to bring relief to American workers, small businesses and the economy.

“Wisconsin was poised to make a good recovery after shutting down,” Palzewicz explained. “But Governor Tony Evers and the Badger Bounce Back Plan was stopped, even though we were meeting all of the goals and readying for a safe reopening of the state. Since then, the numbers of cases continues to climb.”

The pandemic has spread from state to state over recent months, but the lessons learned from states like New York, under the leadership of Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo, have not been learned by Republican-led states in the south. Texas and Florida are hitting record highs because the reopening strategy did not work.

“The virus does not know political party and even when states do the right thing, like California, the numbers can climb,” said Palzewicz. “That's why we need a national strategy on this virus and a concerted effort to plan for future eventualities. We need to learn and adjust, learn and plan. The Republicans want to sweep this under the rug. It doesn't work.”

Palzewicz will continue working to earn the trust of Fifth District voters, who will make the choice between Republican autocracy, or a return to American democracy.

As Trump continues to ignore the COVID-19 crisis, elderly Wisconsinites have been put in even greater danger.

WISCONSIN -- Today, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Philip Shulman released the following statement on Donald Trump’s endangerment of senior Wisconsinites:

“As Trump continues to ignore the COVID-19 crisis and infections spike across the Badger State and the country, elderly Wisconsinites have been put in even greater danger. Trump’s actions have threatened seniors since long before the Coronavirus came to the United States; Trump has attacked Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and has repeatedly tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no replacement plan. This has made it far more difficult for seniors to get crucial resources they rely on such as home care, medicine, and money to pay for groceries and rent.

“Older Americans deserve to live their lives with dignity and respect, instead of living with the threats of Trump’s heartless policy goals. He doesn’t care about the well-being of older Wisconsinites and they see just how dangerous another four years of his presidency would be for them. That’s why their support continues to grow for Vice President Biden who has a plan to address the crisis Donald Trump helped create by ensuring seniors receive the care they need without having to fight for their livelihoods.”

Additional Background:

• 28% of Wisconsinites on Medicaid are elderly or disabled.
• As of 2018, over 1,100,000 Wisconsinites receive Medicare.
• Medicaid Covers Nearly Two-Thirds Of The Nation’s Nursing Home Residents. “Though Medicare generally covers older people, Medicaid funds long-term services, including nursing home stays. Nearly two-thirds of America’s 1.4 million nursing home residents rely on Medicaid to cover their care.” [Washington Post, 6/27/17]
• Policy Experts Said Trump’s Efforts To Repeal The ACA “Would Weaken Resident Protections, Strip Many Nursing-Home Workers Of Health Coverage, Limit Long-Term-Care Options For Many Seniors, And Undermine Efforts To Improve Nursing-Home Quality At A Critical Moment.” “While toppling the law wouldn’t necessarily erase all the reporting requirements, it would weaken resident protections, strip many nursing-home workers of health coverage, limit long-term-care options for many seniors, and undermine efforts to improve nursing-home quality at a critical moment, policy experts say. Janet Wells, a long-term-care public policy consultant in Washington, D.C., says the ACA ‘addressed some of the obvious weaknesses in implementation and enforcement’ of previous nursing-home reform law.” [MarketWatch, 7/2/20]

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/clean-drinking-water-s5.jpgJaeger wants to advocate for sound, responsible environmental laws and policies while Nygren will favor big business.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/covid-19-workers-meatpacking-s5.jpgFactory worker, activist, and writer in Green Bay, Wisconsin exposes role of UFCW International and its local union leaders in outbreaks of COVID-19 in meatpacking industry.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered the Democratic Radio Address on the Governor's Task Force on Broadband Access, which was announced earlier this week.

Audio file of radio address.

Hi, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.

Seemingly overnight, COVID-19 has changed how Wisconsinites live, learn, and work.

Whether it’s working, going to school, or visiting with the doctor, folks have adapted to doing it all from home, which has only underscored that access to reliable high-speed broadband is not a luxury, but a necessity for Wisconsin’s families, students, and businesses.

That’s why this week we announced our Task Force on Broadband Access. This group will work to ensure that Wisconsin’s underserved communities can get the access they need to high-speed internet.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, about 7 percent of Wisconsinites lack access to high-speed internet and we know that burden falls largely on our rural communities. That’s why I am proud that in our last budget we were able to make the largest state investment in broadband to reach more underserved areas of our state.

Our Task Force will look beyond funding to find innovative, creative solutions to the broadband disparities in our state, because now more than ever, a strong state economy depends on access to high-speed internet for our schools, businesses, hospitals, and homes.

Thank you.

Agrees legislative package removes barriers and helps families across the state get needed relief.

Madison - Rep. Staush Gruszynski (D-Green Bay) released the following statement today about the UI benefits reforms package:

“Across our state and our country, people have lost their jobs, and many are still out of work due to COVID-19 as people are encouraged to continue staying safer at home. Many states, including Wisconsin, have seen unemployment programs inundated by millions of claims from individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Green Bay is no different. Even with DWD increasing staffing, adding call centers and streamlining systems, there are still people who are in need of help due to a complex UI system that has only been further complicated by Republican legislation over the last 10 years. Today’s legislative package removes barriers and helps families across the state get needed relief. The legislature needs to act and take these steps to help people in crisis and I fully support these much needed changes.”

WISCONSIN - Citizen Action holds news events around the state to call attention to the damage inaction in Washington is doing to the economic well being of working families. Without urgent action by the middle of next week, the unemployed will be cut-off of enhanced unemployment assistance, and we are already facing a wave of utility cut-offs, evictions, and foreclosures.

As corporate leaders and their political puppets demand the reopening of schools, we welcome Ben Ward from the MTEA (the Milwaukee teacher’s union) to discuss whether it is even possible to have in-person classed safely when the pandemic continues to rage. We also talk with Voces de la Frontera’s Christine Nuemann-Ortiz and Mario Ramirez about their follow up meeting with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services concerning the outrageous decision to withhold the COVID-19 infection numbers of businesses.

LISTEN NOW – EPISODE #451
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On Tax Day, Wisconsinites discover Trump lent a hand to the rich and well-connected rather than passing a meaningful tax overhaul to help working families.

Tax handout Trump pushed through was a boon for large corporations, like Wisconsin's Kimberly Clark, that working people will end up paying for and his failed COVID-19 response will cost them their jobs.

WISCONSIN -- In 2016, Trump campaigned across Wisconsin pledging to be a champion for working people -- that he’d improve wages, create jobs, and lower health care and prescription drug costs. But since taking office Trump has broken every one of those promises, with his policies putting the rich and well-connected ahead of working people.

The tax law Trump pushed through was a boon for large corporations, including those in Wisconsin like Kimberly Clark, that used the handout to shutter their facilities, issue stock buybacks, and lay off workers instead of creating jobs and increasing wages. In fact, working Wisconsinites will ultimately end up paying more in taxes to pay for the $1 trillion hole it blew in the deficit.

Trump’s failed COVID-19 has also led to Wisconsin factory workers losing their jobs and livelihood. As he continues to ignore the pandemic and infection rates spike across the Badger state and America, more workers will lose their jobs with no replacement to help them pay for their rent, health insurance, or the food they put on their families’ tables. 

On top of killing millions of jobs across the country, Trump is continuing his efforts to strip health care from millions of Wisconsinites, including putting in danger protections for the 2.1 million Wisconsinites who have a pre-existing condition. 

Labor leaders blasted Trump for his continued attacks on working Wisconsinites:

AFL-CIO State Treasurer Dennis Delie: “In 2016 Donald Trump came to Wisconsin masquerading as a savior for working people, but every decision he has made as president has been about helping the already rich and powerful. Instead of creating jobs and increasing wages, Trump’s tax-scam bill encouraged outsourcing, rewarded executives with even bigger bonuses, and left working Wisconsinites behind. And now his disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic has put essential workers at risk as he continues to ignore the deadly realities of this virus.”

United Steelworkers District 2 Director Michael Bolton: “The greatest trick Trump ever played on working people was making them believe he cared about them. Even before the pandemic hit, everything Trump has done as president has made it harder for working Wisconsinites to get ahead. From attacking labor standards to trying to take health care away from millions of people across our state, Trump has never been about standing up for us. Even in the midst of a pandemic he couldn’t do the right thing, costing our country millions of jobs and using hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars as handouts for his country club buddies and giant corporations instead of the small businesses on main street that fuel our economy.”

President of UAW Local 72 and Vice-Chair of the UAW Wisconsin State Cap Council Jon Drew: “ I spent decades representing my fellow union members in Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee for the UAW. Without a doubt, Donald Trump has been the worst President for working people in my lifetime. He lied about bringing manufacturing jobs back, his appointees to the NLRB and OSHA have turned those agencies against labor and his utter lack of leadership on COVID-19 has put front line workers at risk. He has done nothing to fix a broken health care system and is actually trying to make it worse. Wisconsin workers can't afford four more years of Trump.”

Additional Background

Kimberly-Clark Said It Would Use Savings From The Republican Tax Law For A Restructuring Initiative That Would Including Laying Off 5,000 To 5,500 Workers And Closing Or Selling 10 Manufacturing Facilities.
“Kimberly-Clark — maker of brands such as Kleenex, Scott and Huggies — said the savings it receives from the new tax-cut law will help them pay for a restructuring program that includes layoffs.  The company said the restructuring initiative, which the company was planning to undertake regardless of the tax law’s passage, will involve reducing its number of employees by about 5,000 to 5,500 people, or 12 to 13 percent of its workforce. Kimberly-Clark also said it plans to close or sell about 10 manufacturing facilities.” [The Hill, 1/24/18]

Kimberly-Clark Executives Said They Planned To Use Their Windfall From The Tax Law To Cover The Costs Of Shrinking Its Workforce By Up To 13 Percent And Closing Factories.
“Kimberly-Clark, the Dallas-based maker of Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex and other consumer products, plans to use some of its windfall to cover the costs of shrinking its workforce by as much as 13 percent as it shutters factories and reorganizes operations… Chief Financial Officer Maria Henry said the company’s gains from the tax overhaul would help offset the cost of the restructuring plan.” [Washington Post, 1/23/18]

Kimberly-Clark Increased Dividend Payments For Shareholders And Planned To Spend $700 To $900 Million On Stock Buybacks.
“But at the same time, the company said it was raising its quarterly dividend to $1.00 a share from 97 cents a share, which based on 353.4 million shares outstanding as of Dec. 31, could cost the company an additional $42.4 million this year. The company also said it planned to spend between $700 million and $900 million to buy back its stock this year, after repurchasing $900 million worth of shares in 2017.” [MarketWatch, 1/23/18]

The GOP-Trump Tax Bill Would Raise Taxes On Low-And Middle-Income Wisconsin Residents By 2027...On Average, Wisconsin Taxpayers In The Middle Quintile Of Income Earners ($62,160 To $94,720) Would See Their Taxes Increase By $200 Under The GOP-Trump Tax Bill By 2027. [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, 12/16/17]

Politico: The North America’s Building Trades Unions, Who Previously Embraced Trump, Were “At Brink Of War” With Him Over New Apprenticeship Rule.
“One of the nation’s largest labor groups embraced Donald Trump at the start of his presidency, in hopes he would create construction jobs and retreat from proposals that might reduce workers’ wages. But now the two sides are on the brink of war, endangering a key bloc of Trump’s support in Midwestern swing states in 2020. At issue is a deal gone bad between Trump and North America’s Building Trades Unions over a Labor Department apprenticeship initiative.” [Politico, 8/16/19]

A Former Labor Leader Said Putting Non-Union Contractors In Charge Of Training And Providing Benefits For New Workers Is Like “The Fox Guarding The Henhouse.”
“By contrast, the non-union contractors whom Trump would put in charge of training new workers offer low pay, no benefits, no pensions, and no job security, either. John Gaal, retired director of training and workforce development for the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council, said of Trump’s scheme: ‘It’s the fox guarding the henhouse.’” [People’s World, 8/15/19]

A Plumber Wrote To The Labor Department Warning That Under The Finalized Apprenticeship Rule “Highly Trained American Workers Will Be Replaced With Poorly Trained, Underpaid Workers, Who Could Be Easily Exploited By Unscrupulous Contractors.”
“‘As I understand the proposed rules for Industry Programs, the standards for training won’t be as rigorous and apprentices could be paid the minimum wage,’ one plumber wrote to the Labor Department. ‘If this system is permitted in the construction industry, highly trained American workers will be replaced with poorly trained, underpaid workers, who could be easily exploited by unscrupulous contractors.’” [CQ, 9/16/19]

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/gb-gop-ki2-s5.pngJaeger appalled at GOP holding their annual State Convention in person, in Wisconsin’s second largest COVID-19 hot spot, and their careless disregard for the safety of Brown County residents.