Wisconsin families are suffering simply because Trump cares more about what he looks like on TV than their livelihoods.

WISCONSIN - Today, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Philip Shulman released a statement on the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment numbers that showed Trump’s disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to crush Wisconsinites and Americans everywhere:

“Today’s BLS numbers continue to show that Donald Trump’s failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic -- from taking the word of China over our own intelligence community, to advocating for less testing, to encouraging people not to wear masks, is preventing a full recovery as millions of families still bear the brunt of historic unemployment numbers. Wisconsin families are suffering simply because Trump cares more about what he looks like on TV than their livelihoods and wellbeing. With Trump in office this pain is going to get worse before it gets better, and that’s why we so desperately need to elect Joe Biden our next president.”

MADISON - One of the things I enjoy the most about my job is working with other – and younger! – activists around the state that are engaged in the effort to make our democracy work better right here in Wisconsin.

We’re part of the Wisconsin Voting Rights Coalition, which sent the following letter to Gov. Evers in hopes that he’ll follow through on his good ideas about expanding DMV hours and accessibility so that citizens can more easily obtain the Voter ID card they need:

Wisconsin Governor Evers Must Enforce His Executive Order to Expand Access to Photo ID

This is just a small part of a huge effort by pro-democracy nonprofit groups all across the state to make sure there’s a big turnout here on Nov. 3. I wrote about his effort in a commentary I just did for the Wisconsin Examiner:

The fight to make voting easier in Wisconsin

Another coalition we’re proud to play an active role in is the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition. Thanks to the hard work of grassroots activists, more and more citizens will be able to weigh on whether they want nonpartisan redistricting in Wisconsin, as I note here:

More Counties Asking Citizens on Gerrymandering

I hope you like these items – and the work we’re doing in coalition.

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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MADISON - Lt. Gov. Barnes Delivers Democratic Radio Address on First Listening Session for Governor's Task Force on Climate Change.

Audio file of radio address.

Lt. Gov. Barnes delivered the Democratic Radio Address and discussed the first listening session of the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change, which occurred on Tuesday, June 23.

Hey, it’s Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, and this week I want to share about the ongoing work of the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change.

I am proud to chair this task force as it works to combat climate change and transition Wisconsin towards a more just and equitable clean economy.

The task force brings together a diverse coalition of task force members, representing Indigenous communities, agriculture, utilities, labor groups, and more. But the task force cannot do this work alone.

Input from the public is vital to developing policies that will reflect the will of the people and the ones that are informed by those who are being most impacted.

This week we held our first virtual listening session, and over 200 Wisconsinites from across the state joined us to share their concerns and their ideas.

They raised concerns about ground water pollutants, extreme weather, flooding, and our society’s reliance on fossil fuels.

They also called on elected officials to act! To invest in renewable energy and job training programs so Wisconsin has the green infrastructure it needs to be a thriving and healthy state.

Most importantly, we heard citizens calling for environmental justice, and they asked that no one be left out of these important conversations and solutions.

With that, I ask you to join the Governor’s task force and the administration in doing this important work. Please consider attending an upcoming listening session and encourage your friends, family, and community members to do the same.  More information can be found at ClimateChange.wi.gov.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/trump-ques-covid19-cnn-s5.pngGreen Bay Senator Dave Hansen, Marinette's Karl Jaeger, and business owner Kim Jensen speak out on Trump's weak response to the pandemic and 3 1/2 years of economic and healthcare policies that have hurt us.

Marinette County Supervisor and Assembly Candidate says Trump is using our state as a political football.

MARINETTE, WI - I am saddened to see President Trump coming to take a victory lap in my backyard just months before Election Day because it’s clear he only cares about us now that November is just around the corner.

He didn’t care about all the workers across Wisconsin whose jobs were lost due to his botched COVID19 response. He still doesn’t care about the families he harmed with his actions, who are still trying to figure out how to pay for their healthcare, their rent, and the food they need to put on their tables.

As many of you know, Marinette is the site of one of the largest PFAS contamination disasters in the Country and the Trump administration has fought against legislation that would regulate those cancer-causing PFAS compounds and protect the drinking water of the citizens of Marinette County.

He is using our state as a political football. He sees us as expendable—just another group he can exploit for his own gain.

That is part of why I am running for Assembly. The Republicans in our Legislature have become an extension of the Trump Administration. They don’t do what’s best for their constituents, only what they think will serve Robin Vos and their special interest donors.

Leadership, whether it’s coming from the White House or the State Legislature, is failing Wisconsin.

To get things back on course—to save our economy, to revive our families, and to bring our state back to prominence—we need to restore real leadership from top to bottom.

Wisconsin stands for honesty, fairness, and hard work and Joe Biden embodies those values. We need Mr. Biden to show us what a real president looks like—what it means to have someone who cares for and believes in Wisconsinites and the American people. And we need this at every level to make sure we have a State Legislature that will work with Governor Evers to do what’s best for our people and our state—not what’s best for Big Business special interests. It’s what every Wisconsinite deserves.

***

About Karl: Karl is a long-time resident of Assembly District 89 and an elected Supervisor on the Marinette County Board. He is in this race because he believes in standing up for his neighbors. We have seen the consequences of Big Business representing us in Madison, and it’s time for the people of Wisconsin to have their voices heard. Karl will put people first and represent the citizens of WI.

Latest testing claim just the last in a series of dismal acts that have hurt Wisconsin.

WISCONSIN - As Trump heads to Wisconsin on Thursday for a political photo op, he’ll be forced to defend his confession that he slowed testing in order to artificially improve perception of his coronavirus response as the economic and public health crises facing the state continue to devastate Wisconsin families. 

Trump admitted he slowed down testing in order to improve the perception of his failed coronavirus response. His inaction has lead to infected thousands of Wisconsinites and left families struggling to get by.

Trump: “When you do testing to that extent, you’re gonna find more people you’re gonna find more cases. So I said to my people slow the testing down, please”  

WBAY: “The state has now confirmed 24,539 coronavirus patients and 744 COVID-19 deaths since testing began earlier this year.” 

Wisconsin State Journal: “Unemployment claims in Wisconsin surged to unprecedented numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying shut down. DWD reported last month that the state had lost 385,900 private-sector jobs from March to April, and the unemployment rate had climbed to the highest level since the Great Depression. The average number of weekly claims skyrocketed from 45,000 a week to 300,000 last month.” 

The reality is even worse for the Black and brown communities, which have been devastated both by the virus and the failure of the Trump administration to provide meaningful economic assistance Black-owned businesses.

Wisconsin State Journal: “African Americans, who make up less than 7% of Wisconsin’s population, have had 18% of confirmed COVID-19 cases and 24% of deaths. Latinos, who also account for just under 7% of state residents, have had 33% of cases and 11% of deaths.”

Los Angeles Times: “In that same time frame, 38% of Black-owned small businesses did not receive any of the financing they applied for, compared with 33% of Latino-owned businesses, 24% of Asian-owned businesses and 20% of white-owned businesses, the report said.

In the midst of a pandemic that Trump and Pence let spiral out of control, they are trying to rip health care away from millions of Wisconsinites as they try to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Wisconsin State Journal: “Another key campaign topic for Trump in 2016 was his criticism of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010. However, despite his attempts to eliminate what is colloquially known as Obamacare, Trump’s efforts to invalidate the health care reform act have stalled, with the matter now before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Trump administration has not unveiled a formal replacement...For now, Trump’s pledge to do away with the ACA has been unfulfilled…”

Vanity Fair: “On top of the 11.4 million Americans who already had ACA insurance in 2020 and 12.5 million enrolled in Medicaid expansion, the Economic Policy Institute estimated April 30 that approximately 12.7 million workers have so far lost their employer-based health insurance since the beginning of the pandemic alone. And those numbers could just be the tip of the iceberg, with the Urban Institute projecting that 25 million workers or more could ultimately lose their employer insurance due to unemployment caused by the COVID-19 crisis.” 

After Trump’s erratic trade policies with China decimated Wisconsin farmers and manufacturing sectors, he begged the Chinese to make a bad trade deal to shore up his reelection chances, selling out working Wisconsin families along the way.

New York Times: “Soybean, dairy and pig farmers saw their businesses dry up as the world’s most populous nation aimed for Mr. Trump’s weak spot, putting tariffs on more than $70 billion of American products in retaliation for his decision to tax billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese goods.” 

Wisconsin Examiner: “Coxhead said trade policies under President Donald Trump (whom he didn’t mention by name) contributed significantly to the plight of Wisconsin farmers in the last few years. The federal government’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic has further endangered the country’s — and Wisconsin’s — position in the world economy, he added.” 

CNBC: “From January to September, the states bordering the Great Lakes have lost more than 25,000 manufacturing jobs: Pennsylvania lost 8,100; Ohio lost 6,000; Michigan lost 6,500; and Wisconsin lost 4,700.” 

Now, as factories continue to close, Trump and Pence have to defend an economic record that has abandoned workers.

Wisconsin Rapids Tribune: “Verso plans to idle the Duluth mill by the end of June and the Wisconsin Rapids mill by the end of July, according to the company. As a result, the company will lay off about 1,000 employees between the two mills, including the majority of the roughly 915 employees who work in Wisconsin Rapids.” 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “BRP, the Canadian manufacturer of Evinrude outboard engines, says it’s eliminating 387 jobs at its factory in Sturtevant as the company steps away from the Evinrude brand founded in Milwaukee more than a century ago...In a notice filed with Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development, the company said it would eliminate 387 jobs in Sturtevant, including employees currently on furlough. Some workers could be recalled but will lose their jobs permanently over the next four months, according to the company.”

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/madison-violence-102320-gmtoday-s5.jpgViolence needs to stop, but inaction by State Legislature on Police reform only fueling the fire says Green Bay Senator.

12% of Wisconsinites are unemployed, and Trump spends his time picking fights on Twitter and rewarding his golfing buddies and rich donors while everyone else gets left behind.

WISCONSIN -- Today, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Philip Shulman released a statement on the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment numbers that showed a staggering 12% of Wisconsinites are unemployed because of Trump’s disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

“12% of Wisconsinites are struggling to pay their rent, afford their health care, put food on their table, and support their families because of Trump’s disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of taking this crisis seriously Trump bent the knee to China, taking the word of their government -- which repeatedly lied -- over his own intelligence community. In just a few short months Trump single handedly decimated the booming economy he was handed by the Obama-Biden administration. We are now facing Depression-era level unemployment, which is disproportionately impacting minority communities.

“But Wisconsin’s economy was faltering before coronavirus came to our shores. Trump’s erratic trade war with China, his tax-scam bill, and his loyalty to giant corporations and not working Wisconsinites helped drive 818 dairy farms out of business and put 4,100 factory workers out of a job in 2019. All of this, combined with average Wisconsin families standing to lose up to $1,000 a year from his failed policies, crushed local economies as big businesses got a massive handout that they used to provide bigger bonuses to executives while shipping jobs overseas. 

“Trump’s economy has devastated families, businesses, and main streets across Wisconsin. His priorities are picking fights on Twitter and rewarding his golfing buddies and rich donors while everyone else gets left behind. He sees working Wisconsinites as expandable and unimportant, instead of  the backbone of our economy. We can’t afford four more years of Trump, and November can’t come soon enough when we elect Joe Biden, who will be a champion for everyday Wisconsinites and Americans.”

MADISON - Lt. Gov. Barnes delivered the Democratic Radio Address on Thursday wishing Wisconsinites a happy Juneteenth Day and recognizing the significance of celebrating Juneteenth in the midst of the current movement against systemic racism and injustice.

Audio file of radio address.

Hey Wisconsin, it’s Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, and I just want to wish you all a happy Juneteenth Day.

Juneteenth Day is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the official ending of slavery in America.

Now this Juneteenth has a little bit more significance for us. Even though last year, we recognized the 400-year anniversary of the unlawful and unwilling arrival of enslaved Africans on the shores of Jamestown, Virginia—this Juneteenth we find ourselves right in the middle of a movement.

A movement for Black lives to address the racial injustice and inequity that has taken place over the last 400 years and that is ingrained in so many of our systems today.

So when I sit back and reflect on Juneteenth, I consider what Freedom really means.

Freedom means opportunity. Freedom means being able to live. Freedom means being able to be who you are.

I know I can’t truly be free unless all people are free.

So on this Juneteenth, let’s celebrate the freedoms we have, but also hold close those that we are still fighting for.

As the Juneteenth Flag flies above the State Capitol for the very first time in our state’s history, we have to remember that our work will not be over until Black lives matter by way of equity and the opportunity to thrive.

Farmers Have Been Crushed By Trump’s Failed COVID-19 Response, But He’s Been Dragging Them Down His Entire Presidency.

WISCONSIN -- Trump’s failed COVID-19 response has crushed farmers in Wisconsin and across the country. Farmers have been dumping milk, setting their crops on fire, and euthanizing their livestock because there is no market for their products. All the while, millions of more Americans are going hungry because they lost their jobs. 

But farmers were struggling long before coronavirus hit the United States. Trump’s chaotic trade wars, particularly with China, obliterated the markets Wisconsin farmers spent decades building in just a short few months. During this time Trump and his administration told Wisconsinites the pain would be “temporary,” that farmers were “over the hump,” and that small and medium-sized family farms should just get bigger if they want to survive.

Trump has never seen farmers as more than a political pawn critical to his reelection chances. He used their pain to push through a multi-billion dollar bailout program that was nothing more than a handout for large agricultural companies. After getting rolled by China on a trade deal that was a mere fraction of what he promised it would be, a recent news report confirms that Trump was never interested in bettering the lives of Wisconsin’s farmers and was simply looking out for his own political interests. 

“Donald Trump crushed our farmers and the local economies they support because he only sees them as a bargaining chip, not human beings and Wisconsinites,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Philip Shulman said. “Trump has been a lapdog for China as he has rolled over for them at every turn. It’s been made clear by recent news reports that Trump gambled with farmers' livelihoods because he thought it would be good for his reelection prospects. But after decimating these communities, they’re not willing to give him another four years -- they know they can’t afford it.”

Wisconsin Examiner: Farms go from frying pan of trade wars to fire of COVID-19
Coxhead said trade policies under President Donald Trump...contributed significantly to the plight of Wisconsin farmers in the last few years. The federal government’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic has further endangered the country’s — and Wisconsin’s — position in the world economy, he added.

Wisconsin State Farmer: Economic recovery after pandemic will be slow for farmers due to trade and internet issues
He also said the Trump administration's volatile relationship with China, one of the country's biggest trading partners, is a cause for concern. And a widespread lack of high-speed internet access in rural areas is causing many rural economies to fall behind entirely. "The global economic recovery, which will outpace the United States, is not really going to benefit us all that well because the administration has turned its back on international trade," Coxhead said.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Coronavirus has hit Wisconsin dairy farms especially hard -- some farmers may even have to dump milk
Coronavirus is delivering a blow to Wisconsin agriculture...export markets are threatened by global trade unrest, and some farms may not make it through the spring. “The coronavirus outbreak has caused milk prices to drop down to unprofitable levels this spring...We also need to be prepared for the scenarios that would require our members to dump milk”…”or dispose of (it) in some other manner,”...the stimulus package won’t resolve long-term issues such as increased global competition and trade wars that may arise from countries closing their borders to curb the spread of COVID-19. The global pandemic has sent a shock wave throughout agriculture.