Democratic Senators called attention to cuts to two veterans programs taking effect in October due to funding being left out of the state budget by Republican lawmakers. The Wisconsin Senate passing the 2025-27 budget bill in July. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

State lawmakers have failed to find a solution to stop cuts taking effect in October to two Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs programs that help veterans struggling with homelessness and mental health issues. 

The Veterans Housing and Recovery Program (VHRP) is closing two of its locations, one in Chippewa Falls and the other in Green Bay, and the Veterans Outreach and Recovery Program (VORP), which serves veterans dealing with mental health and substance use issues and aims to reduce the suicide rate among veterans, is set to lose seven positions.

The VHRP has been the center of back and forth between Democrats and Republicans for months since the announcement of the closures in July. 

A Republican bill to fund the program received a hearing in September, but it was too late to stop the closures. 

VORP launched in 2015 with the help of a federal mental health grant. It is now state funded and Evers used American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2023 to expand the reach of the program, but those funds have run out. 

Gov. Tony Evers had requested seven positions and more than $1.1 million to help support the program, but Republican lawmakers stripped that proposal from the state budget. Those seven positions were set to expire in October without the additional funds, though the cuts have already taken effect with the state Department of Veterans Affairs reducing the number of regions under the program from 16 back to 11.

The additional employees had helped the agency reach more veterans, provide support in a more timely manner and give veterans more individual attention, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. In 2023-24, the program provided services to 2,222 people — a nearly 70% increase compared to the prior year.

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) and Sen. Jamie Wall (D-Green Bay) called attention to the cuts during a press call on Tuesday, blaming Republicans for the failure to provide the needed funding. 

“I’m frustrated, and I’m devastated at the same time,” Hesselbein said. “As of today, these facilities are closed and the veterans they once housed have been relocated.” 

Hoey said at the hearing on the bill from Sen. Andre Jacque (R-New Franken) that the earliest the Chippewa Falls facility would be able to reopen is sometime after Oct. 1, 2026. The Green Bay location, he said, could be reopened relatively quickly if there was funding and depending on whether the federal government would approve a request for a change to its scope. 

Hesselbein noted that Evers and Democratic lawmakers have provided several opportunities for Republicans to keep the VHRP sites open and provide funding to VORP. 

Democratic lawmakers, led by Hesselbein and Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa), introduced a bill to provide funding for the VORP positions, but it hasn’t received a hearing in the Republican-led Legislature. No Republican lawmakers have signed on to it, nor have they introduced their own version that would provide the funding.

A separate bill, authored by Wall, Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) and Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Clare), would provide the necessary funding for the VHRP sites. It previously would have provided $1.9 million, but an amendment to the legislation increases that to $2.6 million, which, Wall said, would be necessary to restart the programs. 

“My disappointment is with the leadership of legislative Republicans that has not made this program, has not made that bill, has not made homeless veterans a priority over the last few months,” Wall said. “They’ve run out the clock until here we are on Sept. 30, with the funding going away now. It’s possible to revive these programs… but it’s going to take a little bit more money and a lot more time. In the best case, we’re looking at next fall before we can stand up these programs again.” 

Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) blamed Evers for the closures, again, in a statement on Tuesday, claiming that there is money available to fund the programs.

“The Legislature appropriated enough funding to support the Veterans Housing and Recovery Program,” Wimberger said. “Evers simply refused to spend it. The closing of veterans’ homeless shelters is his decision alone, and he quite literally is refusing to use available funding in the exact same manner as he did last year to run those facilities.”

Evers has previously rejected Wimberger’s claim, noting that a paper from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau to the Joint Finance Committee warned lawmakers that additional funds were needed for the program. 

A letter from Republican lawmakers also noted that there has been a balance that the Department of Veterans Affairs  returns to the state treasury at the end of the year, though Hoey has noted that the agency is “only allowed to spend the money [the Legislature] tell[s] us to spend.”

Wall made a similar point during the press conference, saying that “we don’t just write a blank check to the Department of Veterans Affairs or any other part of the state budget. What we do is say that there’s so much money in this budget line for this program and so much money in that budget line for this other program, and so the fact that the Department of Veterans Affairs had surplus money and other budget lines doesn’t mean that they could just willy-nilly take that and spend that any way they wanted to for the benefit of this program.”

Hesselbein said this is a continuation of Republicans’ “strange finger pointing.” 

Hesselbein used the deadline for the closures and cuts as an opportunity to talk about what Democrats would do if they were in the majority. Democrats are seeking to flip the Senate in 2026 and need to win two additional seats to do it.

“Republicans chose to do nothing,” Hesselbein said. “Rest assured in a couple of years, when I’m the majority leader, these kinds of antics won’t be tolerated in a Democratic majority, but unfortunately, while that day is on the horizon, it’s not here yet.”

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Assembly Republican and Democratic authors announced competing bills at a joint press conference last week. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Wisconsin lawmakers are once again trying to make changes to the state’s elections system, including allowing elections clerks to start processing absentee ballots the day before Election Day, though partisan divisions on how the changes should be made are already showing. 

Assembly Republican and Democratic authors announced competing bills at a joint press conference last week, saying they are starting a conversation around the proposals and aim to get them done this session. It’s unclear whether those conversations will end in new laws ahead of the 2026 elections, which will include a spring Supreme Court election, a high-profile, open race for governor and state legislative races where control is up for grabs. 

“There’s not a lot new in here,” Assistant Majority Leader Scott Krug (R-Rome) said. “We’ve gone through a lot of these things before, but we’re here to talk about things that should matter to every Wisconsinite, whether you’re Republican, Democrat or independent, about having faith and confidence in your elections from the beginning of the process all the way through to the end.”

Krug said his proposals would help ensure three things for voters: the “person who’s voting next to them is who they say they are,” that the “person is eligible to vote” and that they know “who won the damn election before they go to bed.”

One bill, Krug said, would take a “comprehensive look at how we approach absentee voting in the state of Wisconsin.” This would include allowing for processing of absentee ballots to start on the  Monday before Election Day and regulating drop boxes in Wisconsin. 

“Absentee voting is here to stay, so we want to make sure that we include a process where we can actually get these results across the finish line before we go to bed,” Krug said. He added that by pairing the issue with drop boxes regulations in his new bill he hopes it will “draw all legislators to the table.”  

Election clerks have called for change for years. Currently in Wisconsin, elections workers aren’t allowed to start processing absentee ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day. This has led to extended processing times, especially in the larger cities including Milwaukee — bolstering suspicions among  Republicans since 2018 about  late night “ballot dumps” in Democratic cities. 

Despite passing the Assembly, a bill to implement Monday processing died last legislative session due to opposition in the Senate. 

In addition to reviving Monday processing, Krug promoted new standards for drop boxes.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court reversed a decision that had banned drop boxes in Wisconsin until the new ruling in July 2024. Some Republicans, though not Krug, were critical of the decision. 

“People who are in our communities who see drop boxes on the corner want to know if they have security, that they have standards, that they’re being used the same across the state of Wisconsin,” Krug said. “I know we don’t all agree on what those provisions and those standards should be, but we’ll have a good conversation about that.”

Another bill, Krug said, would eliminate the “ballot drawdown” process from Wisconsin statute and replace it with a process known as “risk-limiting audits.” The drawdown is used when there is a numerical discrepancy and as a result a ballot may be randomly selected and removed from the vote count. 

“Clerical errors can lead to an actually legal ballot being tossed out,” Krug said. “We’ve got to get rid of the drawdown.”

Risk limiting audits are a statistically based audit technique, which audits a certain number of ballots depending on the margin of victory in a given election, has been growing in popularity in recent years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The bill language for Krug’s first two bills is not available.

Krug said AB 312, which was introduced earlier this year, is also included in his package. The bill would require absentee voting sites to be open for at least 20 hours during the period for voting absentee in-person. 

“There’s going to be a limited number of session days going into the fall and spring,” Krug said, adding that it could be difficult to get “27 or 30 election bills” across the finish line individually. 

“Time is of the essence,” Krug said for getting the changes done before 2026 fall elections.

While the lawmakers held their press conference jointly, Rep. Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton) said she is not currently supportive of Krug’s bills but that having the conversation is important. 

“I think it’s over bloated,” Snodgrass said about Krug’s “Monday processing” proposal. “I’d like to see a cleaner bill.”

“We are meeting the moment. Our country, and our state has never been more divided and more contentious. The partisan divide has become not just contentious, but even hostile,” Snodgrass said, adding that she and Krug want to “model that civil conversations in debate can happen in the same room, from the same podium and with the same goal in mind despite diverging ideas.” 

Senate Democrat critical of Krug’s legislation

In addition to Assembly Democrats not being on board with Republican election proposals, there already appear to be some obstacles in the Senate.

While speaking to reporters after the Assembly press conference, Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) criticized Krug’s Monday processing proposal, saying he was “very disappointed” with the new version as it contains a “poison pills” meant to satisfy the right-wing portion of his party. 

“The Monday processing concept has always been a good idea on its own merits, but it’s never been about the right to vote. It has always been about efficiencies for our clerks and our election officials to process ballots more smoothly,” Spreitzer said. “None of those things are about voting rights, and I’m not willing to trade those things for undermining people’s voting rights.” 

Spreitzer said the dropbox restrictions are “nonstarters” that would “functionally ban them in most communities.” A bill draft, according to VoteBeat, includes a ban on clerks fixing errors on ballots and guidelines for dropboxes, including where to place them, how to secure them, how to collect ballots and how to keep records of when they’re emptied as well as requiring they be under a continuous, livestreamed video feed. 

“I don’t know where these ideas are coming from, but it’s got to be from the extreme part of the Republican caucus, and I just don’t think these are what we should be putting forward related to our elections,” Spreitzer said. 

Spreitzer said Monday processing may not happen until Democrats have control, given the recent version of the bill.

“It may mean that we need to wait for a Democratic majority to pass this,” Spreitzer said. Senate Republicans currently hold a 17-15 majority. Democrats are hoping to change that in 2026 and need to win at least two additional seats to flip control of the chamber for the first time in over 15 years.

Waiting would delay any changes to 2027 at the earliest. 

Democratic bills

Snodgrass, alongside three of her Assembly Democratic colleagues, introduced proposals that have overlapping goals with Krug’s legislation last week.

Snodgrass said the Democratic package is meant to focus on “strengthening our democracy” by increasing access, educating people and providing the resources necessary to ensure that all eligible electors can vote. She said they specifically want to remove barriers to voting, not impose them.

One bill would require elected state officials to serve as poll workers during their first term and once every three years after that to help increase their understanding of the state’s election administration. 

“There’s no better way of learning than doing so,” Snodgrass said, adding that the bill would help elected officials be a “voice to talk about how Wisconsin’s elections are secure.” 

A pair of bills seek to ensure that polling places and voting are more accessible by requiring that election officials have one hour of voter accessibility training, and requiring election officials use the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s accessibility checklist at each polling place and uniform signs with  instructions for curbside voting. Several of the bills focus on helping young people in the state participate in elections. 

One bill would require that at least one special school registration deputy be present at each public high school in the state so eligible students can register to vote at school during the day. One bill would require high schools to give voter registration forms and nonpartisan voting information to students who are eligible to vote. 

The Department of Public Instruction would be required, under one bill, to develop a curriculum on the electoral process and voting. The agency would also have to mandate at least one hour of voter education instruction annually for K-12 students. 

“Too often, young people want to get involved, but don’t know how,” Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) said. “By making voter registration and civic information part of the high school experience, we eliminate barriers and send a clear message, your voice matters, and your vote counts. This bill is not about partisanship. It’s about participation. It’s about preparing students to step confidently into adulthood, not just as graduates, but as citizens ready to shape their communities and their future.”

The package also includes a constitutional amendment proposal that would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will be 18 by the general election. Another bill would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote if they turn 18 before the next election.

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Wisconsin State Capitol (Wisconsin Examiner photo)

Former state Rep. Brett Hulsey, known for controversial behavior in the Wisconsin Assembly, has joined the crowded Democratic field for governor in 2026.

“I am running for governor to make Wisconsin better for my family and yours. My grandkids and yours deserve the best schools, roads and clean lakes and beaches,” Hulsey said in his campaign announcement last week.

Hulsey represented Middleton in the state Legislature from 2011 to 2015. Prior to that, he served on the Dane County Board for 14 years, including chairing the Dane County Personnel and Finance Committee.

While in the Assembly, Hulsey was cited for disorderly conduct after police accused him of flipping a 9-year-old boy off his inner tube and taking pictures of him at a Madison beach. He also used $1,200 in campaign funds in 2013 to buy himself a 1987 Volkswagen Cabriolet, which he said he was going to use for parades and campaigning.

Hulsey decided not to run for reelection in the Assembly in 2014 so he could run for governor in 2014. He came in a distant second in the Democratic primary to Mary Burke. 

During his last campaign, Hulsey made national headlines for his plan to go to the 2014 Wisconsin Republican Convention in Milwaukee, dress up as a confederate soldier and hand out Ku Klux Klan hoods as a way of highlighting the policies of then-Gov. Scott Walker, which he said were racist.

Hulsey, a former teacher, cited his outspoken opposition to Act 10, a Walker-era law that stripped teachers and other public employees of collective bargaining rights, as a  reason he decided to run. 

“Attacks on teachers and cuts to school investment are coming home to roost with lower school performance. I will invest in our kids, schools, teachers, and support staff,” Hulsey said. 

Since his time in office, Hulsey has run the housing, energy and environmental consulting business Better Environmental Solutions LLC. 

Hulsey joins a growing group of Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls.

Candidates who have announced so far include Lt. Gov. Sarah Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, state Rep. Francesca Hong, former Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation CEO Missy Hughes and Mukwonago beer vendor Ryan Strnad. 

The primary for governor is scheduled for August 2026.

Republicans in the race include U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann.

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Bill Berrien, shown here in a screenshot from his campaign launch video, dropped out Friday from the contest for the GOP nomination in the 2026 race for governor. (Screenshot from campaign ad)

Whitefish Bay manufacturer Bill Berrien is dropping his bid for governor after a turbulent week for his campaign, saying he doesn’t see a way for him to win the Republican nomination. 

Berrien, the owner and chief executive officer of Pindel Global Precision Inc. and Liberty Precision New Berlin and a former Navy SEAL, entered the race about three months ago, saying the state needed a businessman in charge and trying to compare himself with President Donald Trump as a way of appealing to people. 

His exit leaves two Republicans in the race: U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is considered the highest-profile candidate, launched his campaign this week, and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann launched in May. 

Berrien cited two reports from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week as his reason for leaving the race, saying they were “clearly targeted to force me out of the race.” 

“As a result of our politics today, I cannot focus on the issues I know will turn Wisconsin around. I have come to the conclusion I do not have a path to the nomination,” Berrien said in a statement.

The Journal Sentinel articles found that Berrien had scrubbed his activity on the online publishing platform Medium.com where he followed Jiz Lee, a queer, trans nonbinary adult film performer, along with other authors of sexually explicit essays. Berrien had entered the race boasting of his conservative values, including saying he’d “keep boys out of our daughters’ sports and locker rooms,” a reference to the issue of transgender girls participating on girls’ sports teams. 

The Berrien campaign attempted to downplay the news this week, but it quickly traveled across the internet, even garnering the attention of Jiz Lee, the Journal Sentinel reported in a follow-up article. They wrote in a post on Bluesky it is “okay to follow trans porn stars” and “to read articles about sex and relationships,” but that “what’s not okay is the hypocrisy of backing forceful legislation that restricts what people, trans and otherwise, can do with their own bodies.” 

“That is shameful,” they said. 

Berrien downplayed his online activity in his statement, saying he followed over 5,000 people across various platforms, subscribed to over 100 newsletters and has hit the ‘like’ button on 20,000 posts.  

“It was a major attack piece and we confirmed opposition research started in January of this year, if not earlier,” Berrien said. “And for what? For reading! Nothing illegal, nothing unethical and nothing immoral. Just reading. Wouldn’t you want your political and business leaders (and all of society, frankly) to be widely read and thoughtful and aware of different perspectives and ideas? Yet, when a supposedly major metropolitan newspaper condemns someone for reading, we have ourselves a problem.” 

The primary for the open governor’s race, scheduled for August 2026, is still about a year out. 

Ahead of the news on his online activity this week, Berrien had already found pushback to his candidacy from Trump-aligned conservatives because he supported Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, including donating over $30,000 to her campaign.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Philip Shulman highlighted Trump’s influence  in the Republican primary in a statement about Berrien’s exit, saying it is a “lesson” for GOP candidates. 

“If you don’t show complete and total loyalty to Trump — past or present — then you better pack your bags and head for the door,” Shulman said. “His failure, despite his resume, financial investment, and doing somersaults to earn Trump’s love, shows just how far the other GOP candidates are going to have to go to win the nomination.” 

While the Republican field is shrinking, the Democratic field for governor is still growing with at least eight candidates in the race. 

Announced Democratic candidates include Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, state Rep. Francesca Hong, former state Rep. Brett Hulsey and beer vendor Ryan Strnad. Others considering a run include Attorney General Josh Kaul, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and former Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation CEO Missy Hughes.

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A Planned Parenthood Clinic in downtown Milwaukee. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will once again pause abortion services at its clinics next week after an injunction that blocked portions of President Donald Trump’s megabill was lifted.

Three Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin clinics in Madison, Milwaukee and Sheboygan currently offer abortion services and are together the largest provider for abortion services in the state. 

The temporary pause in services will take effect on Oct. 1. Until then, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin says that it is working to see as many patients as possible and continuing to monitor the legal landscape. 

“Our commitment is unwavering: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will continue to provide the full spectrum of reproductive health care — including abortion — as soon and as we are able to,” Tanya Atkinson, president of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said in a statement. “In the meantime, we are pursuing every available option — through the courts, through operations, and civic engagement.” 

“To the patients who count on us: we are here for you. To our staff and supporters: thank you for standing with us. We remain dedicated to care — no matter what,” Atkinson said. 

The organization is halting services due the federal tax cut and spending megabill — officially titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act — signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year. 

Federal funds have been prohibited from being used to pay for most abortion care for nearly five decades under the Hyde Amendment. However, Planned Parenthood has been able to use federal funds via Medicaid payments and Title X, a federally funded family planning program, to help provide services other than abortion care, including contraceptive care, STI testing, pregnancy testing, and gynecological services to low-income and uninsured individuals. 

The new law includes a provision, which is set to expire July 4, 2026, that bars Medicaid payments for one year for organizations that received more than $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in fiscal year 2023 and primarily engage in family planning services and reproductive health and provide abortions. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin noted that the law was crafted specifically to penalize Planned Parenthood and its patients.

The law is being challenged in court, but an injunction that was blocking the law from taking effect was lifted earlier this month by the First District Court of Appeals.

According to the UW-Madison’s Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE), after October 1, clinic-based abortion care in Wisconsin will only be available at two independent clinics in Milwaukee.

“Effectively, 99% of Wisconsin counties now lack clinic-based abortion care,” the organization said in an email.

This is the second time that abortion services will disappear from the state since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision, abortion care in Wisconsin halted for about 15 months from June 2022 until September 2023, when Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin determined it had enough legal standing to resume. 

Abortion had been halted in Wisconsin due to a criminal law enacted in 1849, but that was ruled invalid and unenforceable by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in July. The Court found in its 4-3 decision that the law had effectively been repealed by other laws passed after it. 

A coalition of Illinois abortion providers and advocates said at a press conference in Chicago Thursday morning that they were prepared to take Wisconsin residents who need abortion services. 

Dr. Allison Cowett, an OB-GYN and chief medical officer for Family Planning Associates, which is the largest independent abortion provider in Illinois, said the agency saw a significant jump in patients the last time abortion services were restricted in Wisconsin.

“Before Dobbs, less than 3% of our patients traveled to Illinois from Wisconsin for an abortion. When Wisconsin’s 1849 trigger ban went into effect, that number jumped to 9%,” Cowett said. “One in every 12 patients we cared for here in this building came from Wisconsin. After 15 months of that ban, abortion services in Wisconsin were restored, and that number dropped in half.”

She expects the previous increase to be repeated.  

“With the sharp reduction in abortion access expected in Wisconsin in less than a week, we anticipate a large influx of patients, once again, forced to travel to Illinois for this basic health care,” Cowett said.

Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, said the pause in services amounts to a ban and Illinois is prepared to once again take in patients. 

“Illinois is ready. Our constellation of care, which includes providers, funds, advocates, and our incredible elected officials will not leave people stranded,” Jeyifo said. “We will not abandon people when they need us. We will be here with open arms to support the needs of our neighbors. Abortion is not just a procedure or a few pills. Abortion gives women and girls and trans and non-binary people control of our lives, our families and our futures.”

Wisconsin Democrats were critical of Trump’s law for how it is affecting access and recommended that people continue to reach out to Planned Parenthood if they need care.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) told reporters after a discussion with people affected by Trump administration changes to the Affordable Care Act in Mount Horeb that Planned Parenthood’s announcement is just one of the health care impacts from Trump’s “big, ugly bill.”

“Planned Parenthood does incredible things for people’s health, cancer screenings, wellness checkups, full range of reproductive care, and this is obviously already having impacts on the type of care that Wisconsinites will be able to receive, and it’s a tragic result,” Baldwin said. 

State Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) and state Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) said in a joint statement that “the Trump administration and Republican extremists are focused on targeting access to reproductive health care.” 

“Planned Parenthood’s announcement that it is pausing abortion services is the latest example of the devastating effects of Trump’s Big, Ugly Bill. Wisconsinites will continue to have their lives upended and their wellbeing threatened by that piece of legislation,” the lawmakers said. “It is important to note that abortion is and remains legal in the State of Wisconsin. Those who need that health care should continue to contact Planned Parenthood for help in finding access to those services or reach out to other providers who offer abortion services.”

Wisconsin Right to Life, an anti-abortion advocacy organization, celebrated the pause in services in a statement. 

“Taxpayer dollars should never fund the taking of innocent preborn lives,” Executive Director Heather Weininger said, claiming that Planned Parenthood has “long centered its operations around abortion services, and this announcement only confirms that reality.” 

According to Planned Parenthood’s annual report from 2022-23, abortion services accounted for  4% of all the health services the organization provided.

“Women and girls facing difficult or unexpected pregnancies deserve compassion, real support, and life-affirming care — and that’s exactly what the pro-life movement is committed to providing,” Weininger said.

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U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany delivers a speech at his launch event in Wausau. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

WAUSAU — In his first event since launching his campaign for governor of Wisconsin, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany made the case for his governorship and promised the large crowd seated and standing around a barn on Wednesday that he’ll work hard to win in 2026.

The 2026 race will be the first open election for governor of Wisconsin in over 15 years as Gov. Tony Evers decided to retire at the end of his second term. Tiffany became the third Republican candidate in the race on Tuesday. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and Whitefish Bay manufacturer Bill Berrien are also running in the Republican primary for the office. The Democratic field is growing with at least six candidates so far. The primary is scheduled for August 2026.  

“We are making America great once again,” Tiffany, who stood in front of an American flag, told the crowd. “Now we need a governor that’s going to lead Wisconsin to prosperity. Are we going to be one of those states that chooses prosperity like Texas and Florida and Tennessee and Ohio or are we going to be one of the laggards like New York or California?”

Tiffany declared during his speech that he is “the leader” in the race as he called for people to join him in his work. 

“I will put every ounce of my energy into this… but I cannot do it alone,” Tiffany said. “I am going to need your help.” 

Berrien, who has never held elected office, criticized Tiffany as a “career politician” in a statement after his launch. 

“We need builders who will create prosperity for all through work, revitalize the manufacturing infrastructure that lies dormant in our state, and jumpstart our economy,” Berrien said. “As the only builder in this race, I’m the strongest general election candidate Democrats will face — and they know it!”

Schoemann, meanwhile, welcomed Tiffany to the race. 

“Looking forward to a Republican primary focused on ideas and winning back the governor’s office,” Schoemann said in a social media post on Tuesday. 

In his 16-minute speech, Tiffany highlighted his childhood on a dairy farm in Elmwood, in the western part of the state as one of eight children.

“Growing up on the farm, we learned to work hard. We learned how to work hard, and we learned to live on a budget, and there are no excuses on the farm, you pick up the shovel, you pick up the pitchfork and you go to work,” Tiffany said. “That’s the way it is. There’s no excuses when those chores start to pile up, and it’s kind of the Wisconsin way.”

The crowd of attendees, some wearing “Make America Great Again” hats, Turning Point USA shirts and even vintage Tiffany for Senate shirts, cheered enthusiastically throughout the speech. 

Linda Michalski, a Wausau resident who retired from working for Marathon County as an  accountant, said she got an invite to Tiffany’s event from the Marathon County Republican Party, of which she is a member. She said she hasn’t researched the other Republican candidates in depth, but that she believes Tiffany’s name recognition will give him an edge.

Michalski said Tiffany’s backstory stuck out to her. 

“Dairy farmers work hard. You can’t just let things slide. You can’t just go on vacation if you’re a dairy farmer, in a dairy farmer family. Things have to get done, and they can’t… If more people had a strong work ethic, they wouldn’t be faced with financial difficulties,” Michalski said. 

Tiffany is hoping to lean on voters like Michaski in the areas of the state where he is most at home, telling reporters after his speech that he needs to “juice up” turnout in northern and western Wisconsin in order to win in 2026. 

“I’m driving all over the state of Wisconsin today, and I was talking to people that were making commitments, and I think you’re going to see more people climb on board here,” Tiffany said. “I got to prove myself to people, the state of Wisconsin.” 

Tiffany, who lives in Minocqua, has represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, a massive area encompassing the northern part of the state, in the House of Representatives since 2020. Before he went to Washington D.C., Tiffany served in the Wisconsin Legislature, first in the Assembly for about three years, followed by nearly eight years in the state Senate, where he was a member of  the powerful, budget-writing Joint Finance Committee. 

Tiffany told reporters that he is expecting that he’ll have to raise $30 or $40 million, and that his campaign is “off to a good start.”

Republicans in the gubernatorial primary are anxiously awaiting a possible endorsement from  President Donald Trump. Tiffany said his last conversation with Trump, which centered mostly on the 7th CD, was in August. 

“We will see how he responds. If he chooses to endorse me, I will certainly welcome that endorsement,” Tiffany said. 

In his speech, Tiffany said he would freeze property taxes and said the annual $325 school revenue limit increase that districts receive due to a partial veto by Evers would be “dead on day one.” 

The annual revenue limit increase gives school districts the option to bring in additional revenue, though without additional state aid, their only option to benefit from the increase is to raise local property taxes. Many school districts throughout the state have been leaning on property taxes to help with costs, since state aid to schools has not kept pace with inflation for almost two decades.

Michalski, a homeowner, said that a freeze in property taxes would be a “welcome relief.” She said her own property taxes have jumped nearly $1,000 recently, a hike that she blames on the Wausau Common Council. 

“Our current government is — it’s awful. It’s just awful, what Gov. Evers is doing. He’s pushing away businesses, he’s adding taxes upon taxes, and… he’s imposing a tax on property owners for 400 years,” Michalski said. 

Tiffany didn’t have additional specifics when it came to exactly how he would freeze property taxes while talking to reporters after his speech. 

“There’s plenty of money in Madison that I think we can help out those local municipalities to do the property tax freeze taxes at the local level. Where are the schools and the local municipalities going to get their money, right? I think the state can help out, especially after the spending blowout with this budget,” Tiffany told reporters after his speech. 

Asked by a reporter if he would seek a suspension of school referendums, Tiffany said he hasn’t “dug that deep into the details” and would “have to study that a little bit.” 

Kevin Lund, a nurse from Kronenwetter, said he appreciates the “Wisconsin First” message that Tiffany delivered. While he identifies as a libertarian, not a Republican, Lund said he has been following Tiffany since he took over from former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy in 2020. 

“He’s paralleling a lot of the conservative type of sentiments that have been kind of nationwide,” Lund said, adding that he is happy about that. “He’s winning on the 80-20 issues, and as long as he can continue to convey that message throughout the state, I think, he’ll find a lot of success.” 

Those issues, Lund said, include immigration and the economy. 

“When you have money, all of a sudden, everybody’s a little bit happier,” Lund said, adding that young people in particular are dealing with challenges trying to afford a home and are “seeing a stagnation in wage growth.” 

“That’s got to be concerning to the younger generation. I’ve got a daughter that’s young, and… I’m wanting to see young people be able to have the chance to succeed in the state,” Lund said.

Tiffany, speaking about his tenure in Congress, highlighted his visits to the southern border where he said he saw “the damage that was being done to America, where every state had become a border state.” Tiffany, who is a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, has been supportive of Trump’s crackdown on immigration during his second term. 

During his speech, Tiffany repeatedly blamed Democrats for problems in the state and played up cultural issues.

“For too long, Democrats have torn down what has been built up in Wisconsin,” Tiffany said. “If we give them four more years? Buckle up! Buckle up! Because you’ll see illegal aliens having driver’s licenses. You’ll see men playing girls’ sports and cheap foreign labor will replace you.” 

Tiffany also declared that there would be “no sanctuary cities” in Wisconsin under his leadership and called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) “unconstitutional and un-American.” 

“I talk to parents, and they have a simple message in regards to education, they just say, ‘Just educate our kids. Don’t indoctrinate them. Just get them a good education.’” Tiffany said, adding that he would seek to ensure that “dollars for education are going to students, teachers, and communities, not the system.”

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A row of framed houses under construction. (Getty Images)

Assembly Republicans proposed a package of bills they say would help increase affordable housing throughout Wisconsin on Tuesday. Rep. Rob Brooks (R-Saukville) said he hopes to build on the success of bills passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Tony Evers in 2023. Those measures created and expanded state loan programs and were supported with over $500 million in state funds.  

At a news conference in the state Capitol Tuesday morning, Brooks said GOP lawmakers anticipate cooperation from the governor’s office once again. The authors have worked with Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) on many of the bills, he said, and have put the bills on a fast track with hearings to take place soon. 

“We hope to get out more affordable housing throughout the state, and when I refer to affordable housing, I want to be clear, we’re not talking about subsidized housing. We’re talking about affordable housing,” Brooks said. “What I’m talking about is the housing stock that was built just a generation or two ago. We’re talking about small ranch homes, some of those homes built without garages or alleyways or detached garages.” 

Seven bills were drafted as of Tuesday, but Brooks said there could be up to 10 in the final package. “It’s kind of a fluid process right now,” he said. 

According to the National Association of Realtors, in 2024 the average age of a first-time homebuyer in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 38, said Tom Larson, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Realtors Association. He said that the average price of a home in Wisconsin is $340,000, and that over the last 15 years, Wisconsin has built fewer housing units per capita than the national average. 

“Housing prices continue to rise faster than wages, and the longer it takes somebody to purchase a home, the longer it takes for them to build wealth, the longer it takes for them to establish roots in our community, which has a direct impact on our labor force and our economy,” Larson said. “Wisconsin’s [housing] affordability is worse than any of our surrounding neighbors. It’s worse than Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and Iowa.”

He said the Wisconsin real estate industry is “cautiously optimistic that the passage of these bills will help address Wisconsin’s affordability crisis.” 

New WHEDA programs 

One bipartisan bill, coauthored by Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek) and Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp) would create a Workforce Home Loan Program through the WHEDA. The bill has two Democratic coauthors as well: Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) and Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D-Green Bay).

Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown), who is also an author on the home loan legislation, said the bill is intended to help Wisconsinites who want to become homeowners. 

“Instead of putting down roots, people have been stuck in renting situations and are unable to build equity or stability, so, how do we do that to help them get into that first step of home ownership?” Knodl asked rhetorically. 

The program would allow first-time home buyers access to second mortgage loans of up to $60,000 at 0% interest. The loans could be used to help with down payments and closing costs. Knodl said the repayment terms would be flexible and tailored to household income, and there would be the option to defer payments for low-income families.

He said that the program would sustain itself through the repayments borrowers make.

“Home ownership is about more than buying a house. It’s about building stronger communities, investing in schools and growing local economies,” Knodl said.

Another bill proposed by Rep. Dave Murphy (D-Greenville) would require the agency to establish a grant program to support developers who want to convert multifamily housing to condominiums. 

WHEDA would be required to direct $10 million from the Main Street Housing Rehabilitation revolving loan fund to the grant program, which would cover up to $50,000 in reasonable attorney fees, state and local permitting fees, and any other costs associated with the conversion. 

Changes to help speed up, support development

A handful of the Republicans’ proposals would change laws to support more development and  standardize the process for a variety of housing developments.

Rep. David Armstrong (R-Rice Lake) has proposed creating residential tax increment districts, or TIDs. A TID is a financial tool  municipalities can use to designate certain areas for economic development and use the district’s property tax growth to help pay for improvements to the area. 

Armstrong said the TIDs are one of the biggest tools that municipalities have to do something about housing, and his bill would help address the biggest barrier to building more workforce housing — the cost of subdivision infrastructure, including sidewalks, curb and gutter, water, sewer and utilities. 

His bill would establish a “pay-as-you-go” TID, applying a portion of the tax increment from new homes  to offset the cost of subdivision development.

“In my area, a starter home is $400,000,” Armstrong said. “That’s not a starter home. That’s not what my workforce can afford.”

Armstrong also has a second bill that would require communities to align  comprehensive plans and the zoning ordinances. He said it would provide clarity and predictability for municipalities, builders and developers. 

Rep. Joy Goeben (R-Hobart) has authored a bill to provide a statewide framework for local regulations of “accessory dwelling units” — secondary housing units located on the same property as a primary residence. 

“Currently, Wisconsin lacks a unified approach, resulting in a confusing, patchwork of regulation that varies across local governments,” Goeben said. She said her bill “addresses that confusion” and gives property owners a pathway to add accessory units. “This legislation strikes a balance, ensuring individual property owners can efficiently add housing while maintaining reasonable community standards,” she said. 

According to the bill draft, local regulations would be allowed to limit the size and height of an accessory unit , require that a unit satisfy current setback and lot coverage requirements, and prohibit units built  after the effective date of the bill from being turned into short-term rentals.

Rep. Rob Kreibich (R-New Richmond) is proposing a bill that would set out a process for local governments and developers seeking to build a subdivision, including providing an opportunity for developers to meet informally with local representatives before submitting plans. He said the bill is meant to place local governments and developers on the same page “from the beginning of the process all the way through to the end of the process.” 

“Over the next five years, we’re gonna probably need about 140,000 housing units in the state of Wisconsin. At the current pace, we’re not going to even get close,” Kriebich said. “Delays and miscommunication oftentimes leads to delays or no subdivisions whatsoever, so this will clean up that process and again allow some tweaks in statutes to fast track new home construction in the state of Wisconsin.”

Delay new building codes

Rep. William Penterman (R-Hustisford) is seeking to delay the deadline for the implementation of new codes for commercial and multi-family residential buildings. The code changes are the first major updates to the codes in over a decade, and are being implemented following a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that struck down lawmakers’ ability to indefinitely block administrative rules.

“Unfortunately, there was a recent Supreme Court ruling that will mandate that the new building code need to go into effect, and while we’re not here to prevent that, we need to have clarity as to when exactly that’s going to happen,” Penterman said. 

Currently, the Department of Safety and Professional Services has said that all commercial building plans submitted to DSPS for approval must meet the standards set in the upgraded code starting on Oct. 1, though the new code technically went into effect on Sept. 1.

Penterman has proposed a bill that would delay that requirement until April 2026. 

“This gives businesses, commercial buildings, residential housing and municipalities more time to review these plans, make sure everything’s all set to go,” Penterman said.

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Rep. Tom Tiffany made his intention to run for governor official Tuesday after teasing his plans for weeks. (Congressional photo)

Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany launched his campaign for governor Tuesday afternoon — becoming the third, and highest profile, candidate in the 2026 Republican primary. 

The 2026 race for governor in Wisconsin will be the first open election in over 15 years as Gov. Tony Evers decided to retire at the end of his second term. Two other Republicans are already in the race: Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and Whitefish Bay manufacturer Bill Berrien. 

“In 2026, Wisconsin will have a choice between opportunity, security, and freedom or following the path of failure seen in Minnesota and Illinois,” Tiffany said in a statement after officially launching his campaign on a conservative talk radio show hosted by Dan O’Donnell. “I will not allow our state to be dragged down that woke and broke road.”

Tiffany, who lives in Minocqua, had been teasing a run for governor for months and is expected to have an official launch event in Wausau on Wednesday evening.

The 67-year-old said in a statement that he would seek to “freeze property taxes, protect our farmland from Communist China, and fight every day for families, for farmers, and for the hardworking people who make this state great.”

In contrast to the short list of Republicans running so far, the Democratic primary field has become increasingly crowded in recent weeks. Official candidates include Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, state Rep. Francesca Hong and beer vendor Ryan Strnad. Others considering a run include Attorney General Josh Kaul, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation CEO Missy Hughes, who recently announced she would be stepping down from her position in the Evers administration. 

Tiffany was elected to represent Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, a massive area that encompasses the northern part of the state, in the House of Representatives in a special election in 2020. He took over from current U.S. Transportation Secretary and former Republican Rep. Sean Duffy, who had resigned to care for his family.

Before going to Washington, D.C., Tiffany was in the state Legislature, first in the Wisconsin State Assembly for about three years, followed by nearly eight years in the state Senate. During his tenure, he served on the state’s Joint Finance Committee, which is responsible for writing the state budget. Before that, Tiffany was the Town Supervisor of Little Rice and managed petroleum distribution for Zenker Oil Company.

Tiffany said that he could stay in Congress for much longer if he wanted to, but that he thinks he can do more as governor and is in the race to “uphold conservative principles.”

“It really is time for new leadership and I believe I have the vision to be able to lead the state of Wisconsin and make us one of the great states of America once again,” Tiffany said. 

In Congress, Tiffany is a member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus and has been a consistent ally to President Donald Trump. Tiffany also supported attempts to overturn former President Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election. So far this year, Tiffany has supported Trump’s tariffs and crack down on immigration, including targeting the H-1B visa program. 

“I support them,” Tiffany said of Trump’s tariffs in his interview with O’Donnell. “At the end of the day if the tariff regime is handled properly, we are going to bring manufacturing back to the United States of America.” 

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker criticized Tiffany in a statement, calling him “Tariff Lover Tom” and saying he “has been jacking up prices on Wisconsin families with his blind support for a trade war that is making everything from beer to beef to school supplies way more expensive — working Wisconsin families can’t afford Tariff Lover Tom being in charge.”

Tiffany said that he would also seek to uphold Wisconsin’s 20-week abortion ban. He has supported federal legislation in the past that would ban abortion at six weeks. 

“I do support that law, and I will uphold it as governor of the state of Wisconsin,” Tiffany said. “I think back to the debate that we had 10 years ago, and you had people on both sides. You had some that were, like, we want unlimited abortions. We had others that said there should be no abortions allowed in the state of Wisconsin, and ultimately, the people of the state said we really want to see something in the middle.”

Tiffany also said he would work to reduce taxes in Wisconsin, including freezing income taxes. He didn’t commit to a flat income tax or eliminating the income tax as some Republicans have proposed.

“I also believe we can reduce income taxes. Can we take it down to zero? I don’t know the answer to that,” Tiffany said.

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Jessica Seawright was joined at her launch event Monday by state Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) and Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee). (Photo courtesy of campaign)

Jessica Seawright, a social worker, disability rights advocate and mother, launched her campaign for Assembly District 21 Monday.

All 99 Assembly seats will be up for election in 2026 and it will be the second time that legislative maps adopted in 2024 will be used. Under those maps, Democrats were able to gain 10 seats in 2024, bringing their numbers up to 45.

Their goal for 2026 is to hold all of their seats and gain at least five more in order to flip the chamber. Republicans have held the Assembly for the last 15 years.

Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek) currently holds the 21st seat located in Milwaukee County, including Oak Creek and a portion of the city of Milwaukee near the Mitchell International Airport. She was first elected in a special election in November 2013, and has won reelection six times. Since 2021 she has also been a member of the powerful Joint Finance Committee, which is responsible for writing the state budget every two years. 

Under the new maps, Rodriguez won another term in 2024 with 51% of the vote against her Democratic challenger. According to an analysis by John Johnson, a research fellow at Marquette University, the district leaned Democratic by 4 percentage points in the presidential election and 7 percentage points in the U.S. Senate race. Rodriguez has not yet  announced her reelection campaign.

Seawright said the new legislative maps provide the opportunity to ask for more from representatives. 

“I wanted more — more understanding, more presence and I decided that it was time to step up,” Seawright said. 

Seawright was joined at her launch event Monday by state Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) and Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee). The Oak Creek venue where she made her announcement was previously part of Sinicki’s districts, before the maps changed.

Seawright said she sees the 21st as a 50-50 district.

“It’s really close, and not everyone is going to agree with me,” Seawright said. “The strength that I believe that I bring is decades of training, listening to people, understanding their perspective, understanding the impact of coming off extremely partisan, and what that does to stifle coordination, collaboration and participation of the voters of their residents in a community.” 

Seawright said her family has lived in Wisconsin since 2018, first in Racine and now in the Garden District community in Milwaukee. They moved from Utah because they had family in the state who would help with caregiving and respite for her 10-year-old son. 

“We have a fantastic neighborhood. I love it,” Seawright said. “We have community support. We have some great work happening in our parks,” including projects to make the spaces more accessible. 

Seawright said she has been working to build a coalition over the last six months leading up to her launch and she is launching over a year out from next year’s general election in November so she has time to get to know the district. 

“I want to be out there. I want to have open-ended conversations that aren’t pressured by me asking for folks’ vote before I earn it,” Seawright said. “I want to show up. I’ll be out in the community… I have the opportunity starting early to do the work that it will require to run for this office.” 

Her 10-year-old son, who has complex medical needs due to a genetic condition, is the major reason she became an advocate. She joined U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin to speak out against cuts to Medicaid and told the story of her son qualifying for and receiving services through the Katie Beckett program, which helps children with disabilities access Medicaid coverage while living at home instead of being in an institution. Her son also received a waiver for children’s long term support through Medicaid. Seawright worked with the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and serves on the state’s Council for Children with Long-Term Support Needs. 

“I began to have the opportunity to spend time with adult self-advocates, and that was so powerful and inspiring, and it’s motivating,” Seawright said. “You want to step up. You want to be there to make sure that your friends feel heard.”

Seawright said that she wants to work for an expansion of Badgercare — Wisconsin’s Medicaid program — even as federal changes to Medicaid by the Trump administration caused Gov. Tony Evers’ administration to declare that it is “fiscally and operationally unfeasible” to expand it due to changes in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act.

“I look forward to exploring the options that make it feasible, because right now, we’re looking at folks on the marketplace having premiums increase so high that they’re going to lose access,” Seawright said. 

Seawright said that fully funding public education is another of her top priorities, especially increasing the special education reimbursement that public schools receive from the state. 

The special education reimbursement rate was raised to 45% under the most recent state budget passed by the Republican-led Legislature and signed into law by Evers. It is the highest rate in years, but fell below what Democrats and public education advocates had called for — a 60% or even a 90% rate.

“Kids like my son, who do need various services in order to access public school, have costs that are mandated by federal protections… I’ve heard from school boards and other school leadership, teachers that it is often pulled from the general fund, and it is making it very difficult to create the inclusive educational environment that I dream of for my son,” Seawright said. “I’d really like to continue and come back to special education reimbursement.”

She said she is flexible about the size of the increase to the reimbursement.

“I look forward to building connections with local leaders, with school boards, within the state Assembly, and talking about a pathway forward that moves us up every year, that moves us on a trajectory where Wisconsin regains its prowess around supporting our kids,” Seawright said. 

Her background as a social worker and her research on criminal justice inform her focus on improving community safety through treatment, prevention and alternatives to incarceration. 

“I am grateful for the work of first responders, for police officers, and I’ve worked alongside correctional professionals at the juvenile and adult level, and that’s kind of where I’m coming from,” Seawright said. “I am seeing what first responders are being asked to do… My mom is an emergency room nurse, and I see what folks are going through in terms of what comes into the emergency room, and I’m dismayed by any changes moving us away from prevention services being funded.”

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Gov. Tony Evers and Veterans Affairs Sec. James Bond spoke an event for veterans in the state Capitol on April 22, 2025. (Photo via Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Facebook page)

A Republican bill that would provide funding for the Veterans Housing and Recovery Program received a hearing in the state Senate on Thursday, advancing a potential solution to the cuts the program is facing even as it appears too late to stop the closures. 

Sen. André Jacque (R-New Franken), the lead author on the proposal, told the Senate Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs committee that it is the responsibility of lawmakers to ensure that Wisconsin “properly honors the sacrifices made by our brave men and women of the armed services” and his bill would help do that. He also serves as the chair of the committee.

“I know that there’s been a lot of confusion and contentious finger pointing over responsibility for the interruption of service at these sites. Ideally, these issues would have already been resolved but finger pointing accomplishes nothing,” Jacque said. 

The Veterans Housing and Recovery Program (VHRP) has been a source of back-and-forth between Gov. Tony Evers and Democratic lawmakers and Republican lawmakers since the closure of two sites, one in Chippewa Falls and the other in the Green Bay area, was announced in July. 

The program, operated by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, has focused on providing support to veterans on the verge of or experiencing homelessness, including those who have experienced incarceration, unemployment or physical and mental health problems. Veterans in the program are able to participate for a maximum of 24 months, but the average length of stay is six to 10 months.

Evers announced in July that the sites would close on Sept. 30 due to a lack of state funding in the budget. He had requested an additional $2 million from lawmakers to help sustain the program, but that request wasn’t heeded and Democratic attempts to put the funding back in the budget were rejected by Republicans — apart from Jacque, who voted with Democrats. 

Gov. Tony Evers’ administration announced shortly after the end of the budget process in July that the two facilities would be closing. 

Evers blamed the closures on lawmakers for not providing the additional funds, while lawmakers said Evers didn’t try to negotiate for the funding.

Then some Republican lawmakers who represent areas surrounding the facilities started claiming that money should be available for the administration to use. In a 16-page letter on Sept. 10, a handful of Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) and Jesse James (R-Thorp) and Reps. Karen Hurd (R-Withee) and Benjamin Franklin (R-De Pere), claimed that the Evers administration should have access to funds to help support the program. That letter pointed to the balance that the WDVA returns at the end of the year, though an agency spokesperson has noted that the agency cannot spend funds on whatever the administration chooses, and is “only allowed to spend the money they tell us to spend.”

Evers had also denied the claim, saying “the money is not there.” He noted that a paper from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau to the Joint Finance Committee warned lawmakers that additional funds were needed for the program. 

“Without additional funding, the Department [of Veterans Affairs] would not have sufficient resources to maintain the program’s three sites,” the paper stated.

Senate Bill 411 would provide $900,000 in 2025-26 and $1,050,000 in 2026-27 for the program and for costs associated with the Chippewa Falls site. Jacque’s bill also includes two other policy changes that he said veterans have been requesting. One would require the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin system to provide funding to the UW Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project to support missions to recover and identify Wisconsin veterans who are missing, and the other would lower the eligibility threshold for veterans and surviving spouses to claim the veterans and surviving spouses property tax credit.

“We have the opportunity to achieve a proactive, bipartisan solution to the funding problem, and I encourage my committee members to join me in approving this funding package,” Jacque said. “Supporting our veterans has not been and must not be a partisan fight. I truly believe there’s enough support and good will on both sides of the aisle to accomplish each of these priorities.” 

The bill does currently has only nine Republican sponsors and no Democratic sponsors. Democratic lawmakers had proposed their own bill with Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) saying at a press conference that she preferred “clean legislation.” That bill is unlikely to advance in the Republican-led Legislature even as Democrats call for a bill hearing on it. 

Jacque said legislators are also discussing  the potential for the Joint Finance Committee to reallocate funds for the program, and that his conversations about his bill have been productive on both sides of the aisle. 

“That was my goal in bringing it forward immediately after the budget was done, to have a vehicle to continue that conversation and make sure that we get some additional progress done on these issues beyond budget,” Jacque said. 

The VHRP has been funded through three revenue streams: trust fund payments, payments made by program participants and per diem payments, which are made to the agency by the federal government at a current rate of about $71 per resident per day. 

Growing staffing and maintenance costs have strained those funds. A contract with Lutheran Social Services, which staffs the facilities, makes up about 70% of the costs. The Evers administration had postponed some of the looming financial hardship by allocating American Rescue Plan Act funding to the program in 2023-24, but those funds have been expended. 

WDVA Assistant Deputy Secretary Joey Hoey said in testimony that it is too late to stop the closure of the facilities at least for a time.

Hoey said that when the budget passed on July 3, the three VHRP sites were in their fourth year of the federal VA’s Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program with the option to renew for a fifth and final year starting October 1, 2025.

The agency was forced to consolidate the facilities to the Union Grove location, the site in best physical condition, without dedicated state funding for the program. The agency also had to notify the USDVA that it would not be renewing its grant agreement for Chippewa Falls. It asked to renew and change the scope of the grant agreement that covers both Union Grove and Green Bay, reducing the total number of beds from 57 to 40 to reflect the closure of the Green Bay facility. 

“Being forced to close our facilities in Green Bay and Chippewa Falls was gut wrenching for the veterans and for staff,” Hoey said. “I want to assure everyone in this room that with the help of veteran advocates, our partners at Lutheran Social Services and others, we were able to provide all the veterans in our care at Green Bay and Chippewa Falls with alternative options. As of last week, neither facility has any veterans still at the facility. All those residents have been successfully placed either in other treatment programs for veterans, other treatment programs that are not veteran centered, some have moved to Minneapolis, some moved to Michigan, a good amount have moved to our facility in Union Grove, but no veterans were kicked out on the street.” 

Hoey said even if the state were to pass the bill before the end of September, the state agency cannot rescind the notification for Chippewa Falls. It would only be able to apply for the next round of grants, which wouldn’t be available until October 2026.

“The earliest we could resume the program in Chippewa Falls would be sometime after October 1, 2026,” Hoey said. “If this bill passes, we stand ready to ask the USDVA to change the scope of our agreement covering Union Grove and Green Bay to go back up to the 57 beds included in the original grant. We believe that the USDVA would approve that change, meaning we could resume the program in Green Bay relatively quickly, provided that the landlord has not rented out the facility we were using and that we can sign a contract with Lutheran Social Services.”

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State Superintendent Jill Underly with Madison La Follette High School Principal Mathew Thompson and Madison Public School District Superintendent Joe Gothard in the hallway at La Follette in September 2024. | Photo by Ruth Conniff

During her 2025 State of Education address in the Wisconsin Capitol rotunda, State Superintendent Jill Underly called the Trump administration the “biggest school-yard bully” that Wisconsin schools must overcome and said chronic underfunding at the state level continues to put pressure on districts to do more with less. 

Thursday’s address was Underly’s first during her second term in office. She won reelection in April this year. She used the address as an opportunity to call for the state to give more support to schools.

“Public education in Wisconsin is not just a system; it’s a living story written daily by the people who believe in its promise…  by students walking into classrooms filled with possibility, by the teachers who dedicate their lives to unlocking potential, by the families and the communities who support them,” Underly said. However, she warned that pride in the public education story “does not guarantee a happy ending.” 

“Pride alone can’t patch a leaking roof. Pride doesn’t shrink a class of 32. Pride will not put a counselor in every school, and pride does not replace sustainable funding. Pride doesn’t fix inequity,’ Underly said. “Pride must be paired with action.” 

The first several months of Underly’s term have been marked by federal upheaval as the Trump administration has abruptly paused and pulled federal funding that goes to education priorities and also by the completion of a state budget that fell short of public school advocates’ goals. 

Underly said the Trump administration is using funding as a bargaining chip by withholding it with little notice in order to demand schools comply with unclear and unlawful requests. 

Most recently, the Trump administration decided to withhold nearly $11 million in grants to support deafblind students and special education teachers. The explanation delivered to the state DPI was that the programs “reflect the prior administration’s priorities and policy preferences and conflict with those of the current administration.” 

Over the summer, schools across the nation were thrown into uncertainty after the Trump administration said it would be withholding Title program payments. The administration eventually reversed its decision. 

“Their efforts seek to sow confusion and create chaos and erode trust in an education system already under incredible pressure. We teach our students to stand up to bullies, but this year, the biggest school-yard bully in our public schools is our own federal government,” Underly said. “We will not allow politics or outside forces to rewrite the story of Wisconsin’s public schools. We will not stand by while the future of our children is at stake. We will fight, we will lead, and we will stand up for every student.”

Underly also said the state government is putting school districts in a situation where they must stretch their budgets and are left to solve their problems alone. 

“Decades of insufficient funding have forced a historic number of districts into an impossible situation, turning to referenda year after year just to survive, all while facing micromanaging from Madison and endless finger pointing from lawmakers who too often choose politics over partisanship,” Underly said. 

The state budget, which was passed by the Republican-led state Legislature and signed by Gov. Tony Evers, included a boost in special education funding from about 30% to 45%. But school districts have said that another aspect of the budget, which made no increase at all in state aid for both years of the biennium, left them in a tight spot. Underly said the budget was “not perfect” but “makes meaningful progress for our schools, especially in special education” and acts as a “starting point.” 

‘Pulling resources away from public schools to fund private ones’

“And here’s the truth: We are starving one system while funding another. We cannot afford to keep pulling resources away from public schools to fund private ones and expect both to thrive. That is not good stewardship, and that is not Wisconsin,” Underly said. 

Underly was referencing the state’s school voucher programs, which allow students to use public funds to attend participating private schools. Caps on the program, which limit the number of students who can participate, are scheduled to lift after the 2025-26 school year. 

The growth of the state’s school voucher programs coincides with public school districts’ increasing reliance on raising money through property tax hikes that local taxpayers have to decide whether to approve.

“This under-investment has created a growing sense in too many classrooms during too many school board meetings and around too many kitchen tables that our schools are being left to go it alone,” Underly said. 

Underly said the financial pressures are placing teachers and students under other types of stress as well. 

“Our schools are not failing. We are failing our schools, and we can’t afford to keep writing this chapter. If we truly believe in writing a better story for public education, then it’s long past time for our state to step up and deliver on its promise,” Underly said. “When we underfund, we burn out teachers. When we ignore, we lose talent.” 

Underly called attention to the mental health problems that many students are facing, saying that the political environment could be making things worse. She specifically noted the high rates of depression, anxiety and self-harm among LGBTQ+ students, especially transgender students. 

“The debates taking place in the public sphere, and right here in this Capitol building aren’t about sports,” Underly said, referencing bills that have been debated this year that would bar transgender girls from participating on girls’ sports teams. “They’re about something much deeper — whether kids are allowed to belong. It’s not just one group of kids, it’s every kid. It’s the kid who doesn’t know where their next meal is going to come from. It’s the kid growing up in a low-income neighborhood without access to the same opportunities just a few miles away. It’s the kids still learning English like so many generations of Americans before them, navigating a world that too often makes them feel invisible. It’s the rural kid who has big dreams but lacks access to broadband or after-school programs.” 

Undery said that despite the challenges, there is hope for the future of Wisconsin schools. 

“Throughout history, Wisconsin has led the way,” Underly said, noting that the state had the first kindergarten program in the country and created one of the first statewide public library systems. 

“That courage, that commitment to progress, that’s in Wisconsin’s DNA,” Underly said. “Now, we stand at a defining moment. In this next chapter, you re-elected me to lead that work not to maintain the status quo, but to drive real change to lead to act to set a clear path forward, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.” 

She listed priorities including hands-on learning, embracing new technologies, creating personalized learning experiences and recruiting and retaining teachers. She also said DPI is also working to modernize to be a “stronger and more effective partner” to schools and educators.

“The future isn’t red. The future isn’t blue. The future, Wisconsin, is sitting in our classrooms right now, and this is our wake-up call. This is the mirror we must face,” Underly said. “Will we be the generation that looked away as our schools crumbled? Or will we be the ones who stood up, kept our promise, and chose to write a different story?”

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State Rep. Francesca Hong sits for a photo in her office in the Capitol in 2022. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

State Rep. Francesca Hong, a Madison Democratic Socialist, chef and bartender, is joining the growing Democratic field for governor — saying she hopes to be a relatable candidate who can bring working class people together to foster a government that works for them. 

Hong launched her campaign with a 90-second ad shot in the kitchen of L’Etoile, a high-end restaurant across from the Capitol in Madison and in the dining area of the adjacent restaurant Graze. Hong points towards the Capitol, which is labeled in the ad “MAGA-controlled Legislature,” and says that “a lot of people in that building don’t get why it’s so hard to get by right now.” 

“Working hard doesn’t mean you can always keep up. One wrong step can lay you out flat. This is by design,” Hong says.

Hong told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview that she is running because she sees the current moment as ripe for a “movement” for “building working class power,” as “more and more people are realizing that the system is rigged.”

“It’s about politics rooted in care — where we care for ourselves, our children, our small businesses and our workers. The movement requires building coalitions, meeting folks where they are, honoring and receiving all different types of talents and treasures and time that people are willing to give to engage with others. It’s happening, and it needs to happen faster here in Wisconsin.” 

Hong said she feels a sense of urgency because of the direction the Trump administration and Republicans are taking. 

“We have an authoritarian regime that endorses mass suffering, gutting food from children and gutting health care from working people and dismantling public education and programs,” Hong said. “It’s irresponsible to be thinking about incrementalism as a way to make this moment. I think it’s unrealistic to rely on incremental policy, and what working class people are demanding is that they have their needs met… Wisconsinites, they f-ing hustle, and they deserve a governor who is going to be working as hard as they are.”

Four other Democratic candidates are already in the open race, including State Sen. Kelda Roys of Madison, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Mukwonago beer vendor Ryan Strnad.

Two Republican candidates have entered the race on the GOP side so far: Whitefish Bay manufacturer Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has said he will make a decision about entering the race by the end of the month. 

Hong was first elected to the state Assembly in 2020, becoming the first Asian American to serve in the body. At 36, she is the youngest candidate to join the race so far.

Gov. Tony Evers’ decision not to seek a third term opened the way for a competitive primary. “I think that this is probably the only time where someone like me can run for governor and win,” Hong said. 

She acknowledged that her campaign will be different in style and substance from more traditional campaigns. “I think there’s going to be some skepticism that’s going to come from the establishment folks in political circles about some of the campaign strategies we may lean on, especially when it comes to creative digital,” she said.

Hong formerly owned Morris Ramen, a restaurant in downtown Madison she opened with Matt Morris and restaurateur Shinji Muramoto in 2016 and closed last year. She currently bartends and picks up shifts at another restaurant every once in a while. She is also a single mother who rents her home in Madison.

“It’s going to sound corny, but I really love this state,” Hong said. “It’s where I have failed and succeeded. When it comes to my culinary career or winning an election and being sent to the Capitol. It’s where George [her son] was born. It’s my parents’ home. They’ve lived here longer than anywhere else, and the state has given me and my family a lot.” 

She says she began considering running for governor after the recent state budget process.

Hong voted against the budget and called on other Democrats to do the same because it made no increases in general state aid to Wisconsin’s public schools. During her time in the Legislature, Hong has also been a champion for providing school breakfasts and lunches to all students free of charge. 

This session Hong joined the Legislative Socialist Caucus. She said she identifies as a Democratic Socialist. 

“That means I’m dedicated to building working class power where everyone has their basic needs met to be able to take care of themselves and the people that they love and their neighbors and somebody that they don’t know,” Hong said. 

Her campaign comes at a moment when other Democratic Socialists are running high-profile campaigns across the country. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has been traveling the country on a “Fight Oligarchy Tour” that made stops in Wisconsin. In New York City, state Rep. Zohran Mamdani recently won the Democratic nomination for mayor.  

Hong said Mamdani’s message  resonated with her. 

“Mamdani has showed us that meeting voters where they are, building a diverse, multi-generational, multi-faith, multi-racial and multi-ethnic coalition is how you build trust with voters,” Hong said, adding that she appreciates his focus on  “affordability and concrete ways that government can do its job and be a force of good.” 

The policies that she has proposed in the Legislature have been “practical,” Hong said.

Hong was a leading sponsor on a state law that requires schools teach Hmong and Asian American history. Hong, the daughter of Korean immigrants, also helped launch the state’s first Legislative Asian Caucus alongside two of her new colleagues this session and has authored resolutions to proclaim 2025 as the year of the snake and celebrate 50 years of Hmong, Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese people residing in Wisconsin.

This session, she has also coauthored a resolution to declare that Wisconsin have an Economic Bill of Rights and a bill to prohibit state employees’ cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in public buildings without a warrant. 

“We can make better possible when there are universal policies that support working class people — universal child care, guaranteed paid leave, fully funded public schools, access to capital for small businesses and investing heavily in a care infrastructure where we can take care of our seniors,” Hong said. “Regardless of political identity, these types of social insurance programs are designed to ensure that working class people can not only get by, but be able to take care of themselves and their families in the ways that they see fit.” 

Hong said it is “imperative” that Democrats flip the state Assembly and Senate to make progress towards those policies. New legislative maps adopted in 2024 brought that goal into sight for Democrats for the first time in many years.

Hong said she is going to do everything she can to support candidates running for the Assembly and to help flip districts currently represented by Republicans. The Wisconsin Legislature has been led by Republicans since 2010.

This will be Hong’s first time running for statewide office. Hong said she is anticipating an array of challenges for her campaign. She said she will continue putting in a lot of hours as a state lawmaker, and she may not be able to pick up as many shifts at Gamma Ray, the Madison bar she works at.

Hong said she is also committed to meeting people where they are in a wide variety of places, including bowling alleys and pro wrestling matches and the rodeo. She said those are the places where people might be willing to share their stories. 

Hong recalled stopping at a bar in Chippewa Falls. She said she got her usual Miller High Life, while two men next to her had a Miller Lite light and a regular Miller Lite. She said she made a comment along the lines of “you might as well just be drinking water at that point” and it led to a conversation about concerns one of the men had about hospital access in a part of the state grappling with recent hospitals closings.

“He was worried that his elderly mother, who was almost 90 and still drives herself to the hospital… she’s not going to get the care she needs,” Hong said. “That is real. Health care is very real for folks, health insurance is too expensive. We have policies that are going to help make health insurance cheaper, both for small businesses and for workers. 

Hong hopes she can give people the sense that “there’s somebody in their corner,” and show them that she “can be a strong messenger for helping people realize that together we can make better possible.”

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Jung launched his campaign on Tuesday from the waterfront in Racine, and was joined by some current lawmakers, including Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee). (Photo courtesy of State Senate Democratic Committee)

City of Racine transit and mobility director Trevor Jung is running as a Democrat for southeast Wisconsin state Senate District 21 — the final of three districts that Democrats aim to flip in 2026 to help them capture the Senate majority. 

“I owe everything to my hometown,” Jung, who was born in Russia and raised in Racine, told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview. “This is a special place with a lot of warmth and compassion… The state really has turned its back on places like the neighborhood that I grew up in, and whether you’re in Racine or Franklin or Greendale, the state has really neglected us.”  

Jung launched his campaign on Tuesday from the waterfront in Racine, and was joined by some current lawmakers, including Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee). 

“For me, this is about giving back to the place that gave me everything, and focusing on affordability, good paying jobs and making sure that we avoid what everybody is really sick of, which is the nastiness, the politics that too often turn people,” Jung said. 

Democrats, who haven’t held a majority in either legislative chamber in over 15 years, need to flip two seats and hold their current seats in order to win the Senate majority in 2026.  

Along with SD 21, Wisconsin Democrats are aiming to flip are Senate District 17, currently represented by Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), and Senate District 5, currently represented by Sen. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield).

The 21st district’s incumbent, Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), has served in the Senate for the last decade. He was first elected to the Senate in 2010, but lost a recall election in 2012.  Wanggaard was unchallenged during his most recent general election in 2022. In his 2018 reelection bid, he beat the Democratic candidate with nearly 60% of the vote.

But this year the district has changed considerably under new maps adopted in 2024.The current district encompasses part of Racine County, including the northern part of the city, and part of Milwaukee County, including Franklin, Hales Corner, Greendale and Greenfield. 

According to an analysis by John Johnson, a research fellow at Marquette University, the area encompassed by the new district lines leaned Democratic by 1 percentage point in the 2024 presidential election and by 2.2 percentage points in the 2024 U.S. Senate race. 

“You’re going to have to earn every vote,” Jung said of the district. “We’re going to be out there. We’re going to be listening to people. We’re going to be having conversations about what priorities residents of the district have, and we’re going to make sure that folks know that this is not about left or right. This is about building relationships and solving problems and having honest conversations about how the state can work together with the private sector and local government to make the quality of life better for people who live in southeast Wisconsin.”

Shortly after Jung’s campaign announcement, Wanggaard criticized the Democratic candidate in a statement.

“While Trevor is a nice, friendly, soft spoken young man, he uses that to hide his crazy liberal ideas that are more at home in San Francisco than in Milwaukee and Racine counties,” Wanggaard said. “Do not be mistaken — he is every bit an extreme Madison/California liberal as there is. He will vote in lockstep with everything the Democrats stand for — from raising taxes to allowing boys in girls’ locker rooms.” 

Wanggaard said in a statement that he plans to make a decision about whether to run near the end of this year. In his most recent campaign finance report, he reported raising only $0.80 this year.

“My timeline for making a decision whether or not to run for another term remains the same,” Wanggaard said. “As I stated last November, last January, and in July, I will continue to discuss another term with my family and friends.”

Wanggaard said that he has been receiving support and encouragement to run. 

“The priorities for the next term will remain the same, and what I’ve heard throughout the district — grow the economy, improve public safety, eliminate fraud and abuse, and protect the vulnerable,” Wanggaard said. 

Jung said he will run a positive campaign focused on the issues that matter to people in the district.  

“While my opponent is going to try to make whatever the national narrative is that’s focused on politics and name calling, we’re going to be focused on having a vision for making people’s lives better in Wisconsin,” Jung said, adding that it is still unclear who his opponent ultimately will be.

Jung said his campaign is about responding to people’s needs. 

“We’ve got dramatic cuts in shared revenue to make sure that we’ve got proper public services and public safety,” Jung said. “You have the state of Wisconsin ranking 27th in spending per pupil in our public schools, when just a generation ago, we were one of the best states in the nation in terms of making sure our students have what they need to succeed.”

Jung said the 2023 changes to shared revenue were a “Band-Aid” for local communities such as his and that he wants to ensure public schools have adequate funding. 

“We’re funding two education systems, and that’s not efficient,” Jung said, referring to the expansion of taxpayer-funded private schools — though he fell short of saying he’d want to see an end to the state’s school voucher system. 

Jung said in his current position in Racine city government, he and others have worked to expand transit service to the Social Security office as a way to ensure that elderly and disabled residents are able to access their benefits. He said they have also worked to prioritize savings, by helping bring down the cost of public transit, service, by ensuring people get the most out of public transit and sustainability, through environmentally conscious decisions. 

In his current role, which he plans to continue as he runs for state Senate, Jung said that he has seen the state of Wisconsin fail to be an adequate partner. 

“Instead of being an ally in that work to save local government money and to deliver better service, in large part, they’ve been an adversary,” Jung said. “They too often focused on national politics rather than getting stuff done for people at the local level.” 

This isn’t Jung’s first time running for public office. He previously served as the youngest member of the Racine Common Council, elected at age 23. He ran for the office after graduating from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a degree in urban studies and a focus on urban planning. 

His position on the common council, Jung said, “gave me a really good insight into, because of levy limits and revenue constraints and shared revenue, cuts that we had to make — really difficult decisions that we shouldn’t have had to make because of the state turning its back.”

Jung said that he has several priorities that he would want to work on in the state Senate that boil down to what he calls the “five Ts”: talent, training, transportation, technology and tourism. 

“If we get those right, Wisconsin can be one of the fastest growing states in the union,” he said. 

“What do we do to keep young people here and attract the next generation of talent in order to be a competitive place?” Jung asked rhetorically. “We need to work with organized labor and create a pipeline for the skilled trades so that people have access to family-supporting jobs.” 

Jung said that the state also needs to support public transportation, “whether that’s a robust public transportation system that gets people to work, doctor’s appointments, school or investing in alternatives to the personal vehicle, like transit and rail.” 

“We’ve got this new revolution in robotics and green energy and advanced manufacturing,” he added. “What can we do to make sure that Wisconsin is a place that is a leader in these new sectors?”

“This is the most beautiful state in the country,” Jung said, laying out his argument that tourism can do more for the economy. “Southeastern Wisconsin has an incredible architecture on the shores of Lake Michigan. We have a beautiful opportunity to make sure that visitors coming here can sustain the quality of life for residents who live here.” 

Jung said the state needs new energy and leadership that rejects “austerity” in favor of “investment.” 

“We need a positive vision for the future,” Jung said. “I’m excited about the youthful energy that we can bring to this campaign, but also looking forward to collaborating with people of all different walks of life to make sure that this is a well rounded and informed effort.”

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State Sen. Kelda Roys calls attention to the issue of child care funding during a June press conference alongside her Democratic colleagues. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Democratic state Sen. Kelda Roys of Madison said she will fight back against “extremists” as she launched her campaign for governor Monday morning. 

Roys, 46, is now the fourth candidate to enter the open Democratic primary. She joins Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley as well as Mukwonago beer vendor Ryan Strnad.

“I’ve been protecting our freedoms when others didn’t even see the threat coming. That’s leadership. See the problem. Build the coalition, deliver results,” Roys said in her campaign announcement ad. “I’ve done it while raising five kids and running a small business, because when something matters, we find a way.” 

Roys gave two reasons for why she is running for governor in an interview with the Wisconsin Examiner. 

“I’m running because Wisconsin needs a governor who’s going to stand up to what the Republican regime is doing and protect Wisconsinites from the harms that they are causing us,” Roys said. “And also because this is a time of incredible opportunity for Wisconsin, and we need a governor who knows how to get things done, how to deliver meaningful change for families across the state.” 

Promising to push back on the Trump administration, Roys said that means that “as people are losing their health care coverage because of the federal budget, as farmers don’t have the workforce to help harvest their crops, as small businesses are struggling with the high cost and uncertainty caused by Trump’s policies, I’m going to do everything in my power to help Wisconsinites thrive.”

Roys said the Democratic Party is struggling with low approval ratings because people aren’t seeing Democrats do enough to combat Trump.

“When I talk to folks all around the state, it’s because people are angry that Democrats don’t seem to be meeting this moment and ringing the alarm bells the way that we need to be right now,” Roys said. 

Roys was elected to the Senate in 2020 and has served as one of four Democrats on the Joint Finance Committee, which is responsible for writing the state’s biennial budget, since 2023. Prior to this, she served two terms in the state Assembly, including one under former Gov. Jim Doyle and one under former Gov. Scott Walker. 

Roys said her experience in the Legislature would help inform the way she would lead as governor. 

“Much to my chagrin, when you look at the governors who have been effective at cementing their legacies into the law, it’s the governors that have come from the Legislature,” Roys said. “Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker are really the top examples that we have, because they understood how to work with the Legislature.” 

Roys said the makeup of the state Legislature will not change her determination to get things done, though she is “bullish” in her belief that the state Senate will flip Democratic in 2026 and possibly the state Assembly, too. 

“My feeling is that you’re never going to get anything done alone. You always are going to need a team, and the job of the governor is to build that so that you can make durable change, and I will continue to maintain a strong relationship with Republican and Democratic legislators,” Roys said. “As governor, I’m going to be always looking for opportunities to partner with the Legislature, to reach across the aisle, because this is a purple state.” 

Roys said her history shows her ability to advance her priorities, even in a Republican Legislature, and that is what sets her apart from other Democratic candidates in the race.

One accomplishment, she noted, was her experience as a law student working with the Wisconsin Innocence Project to help pass Act 60, a criminal justice reform law aimed at helping prevent wrongful convictions, in a Legislature dominated by Republicans. Roys also noted the when she was executive director of NARAL Wisconsin, she advocated for the passage of the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Act, which requires Wisconsin hospital emergency rooms to provide medically accurate oral and written information regarding emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault and to dispense emergency contraception upon request. 

Roys has been an outspoken advocate for reproductive rights during her service in the Legislature as well, calling for the repeal of the 1849 criminal law that ended abortion services in the state for a year and a half after Roe v. Wade was overturned, and the loosening of other abortion restrictions in the state.

Roys, who voted against the recent state budget, said she did so in part because of the lack of education funding. As governor, she said she would want to improve public education and ensure that “we’re not perpetually forcing our schools to go to their neighbors and ask them to raise their own property taxes just to keep the lights on and keep teachers in the classroom.”

Beyond funding, Roys laid out a couple of priorities for schools on her campaign website, including “using evidence-based learning, keeping smartphones out of the classroom, retaining high standards, engaging parents and community members as stakeholders and ensuring high quality professional development for educators.” 

This is Roys’ second time running. She came in third in the Democratic primary in 2018, when Evers was first elected, behind Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin. 

Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primaries are about 11 months away, scheduled for August 2026.  

The Republican primary is still taking shape as well. Whitefish Bay manufacturer Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann have officially entered the race. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has said he will make a decision about entering the race by the end of the month. 

Berrien said in a statement about Roys’ campaign launch that Wisconsinites were not going to “elect a career politician who views the governor’s mansion as another stepping stone in her career” and that voters had already rejected her “extreme, far-left policies and Medicare for All Agenda.”

“As governor, I’ll create prosperity for all through work because it doesn’t matter who the Democrats nominate, I will beat them,” Berrien said. 

Roys said she hadn’t seen Berrien’s full statement, but it sounded “laughable.”

“I’ve actually spent more of my career in the private sector than in the public, but I still have way more experience than any of the Republicans thinking of running for governor,” Roys said.

In the six-year gap between her service in the Assembly and Senate, Roys founded Open Homes, an online real estate service, in 2013, as a way to “lower fees and make it easier for people to buy and sell their homes,” according to her campaign announcement. She first got her real estate license at 19 when she lived in New York City to help pay for college, according to the business website.

As for Berrien’s charge that she is “extreme,” Roys says, “there is no place for violence or violent rhetoric in our politics, but you have to look no further than the President that these Republicans support, who has unleashed an incredible amount of violent rhetoric that is meant to scare and intimidate Americans who disagree with him, and it’s not just his words, but it’s his actions.”

Roys noted Trump’s pardons of January 6th insurrectionists. 

“I don’t know what you can call those pardons, if not a permission slip for violence,” Roys said. “I don’t want to hear one word from Republican candidates about extremism, until they denounce their own president and his contributions to the terrible situation that this country is in.”

Roys said the biggest challenge that Democrats face in competing statewide in 2026 is a group of “very, very well funded billionaires and right wing extremists that gerrymandered our state and have been trying to buy elections here for a generation.” She said she would work to combat that by “building a strong statewide grassroots campaign of people from across the political spectrum who want to see Wisconsin actually solve our problems and move forward again.”

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Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order Monday that is aimed at protecting access to vaccines in Wisconsin. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

Seeking to combat efforts of the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration, Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order Monday that is aimed at protecting access to vaccines in Wisconsin. 

“Vaccines save lives, folks. Spreading fear, distrust, and disinformation about safe and effective vaccines isn’t just reckless, it’s dangerous,” Evers said in a statement. “RFK and the Trump administration are inserting partisan politics into healthcare and the science-based decisions of medical professionals and are putting the health and lives of kids, families, and folks across our state at risk in the process.”

Kennedy in his role as the health secretary has taken aim at vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine. This week, a CDC committee with new members appointed by Kennedy who are skeptical of vaccines is expected to consider softening or eliminating some recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine and some childhood immunizations. 

“Here in Wisconsin, we will continue to follow the science to ensure Wisconsinites have access to the healthcare they need when and where they need it to make their own healthcare decisions that are right for them,” Evers said. 

The order directs the state Department of Health Services to take several steps towards protecting access including monitoring and reviewing immunization recommendations, issuing guidance on the COVID-19 vaccine, determining additional measures that may be necessary to provide clarity and guidance on other routine vaccines.

The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance is also directed under the order to collaborate with health plans to make sure people have accurate, up-to-date information on access to vaccines and to help limit the costs of vaccines and to direct health insurers within their regulatory authority to provide coverage for the COVID-19 vaccine without cost-sharing.

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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers address the Legislature in his 2024 State of the State message. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)

Gov. Tony Evers is suing the Wisconsin State Legislature for clarification on administrative rulemaking powers after a state Supreme Court decision earlier this year found that lawmakers were unconstitutionally blocking administrative rules indefinitely. 

Since the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Evers v. Marklein II decision in July, Evers has taken steps to implement 12 administrative rules that were approved by him, but without getting the sign off from committees. His administration has said the additional approval isn’t needed. 

However, Republican lawmakers have objected to Evers implementing the rules without going through the legislative committees, instructing the Legislative Reference Bureau not to publish any rule that hasn’t gone through a review by the Legislature in accordance with Wisconsin law. 

“The Legislature cannot continue to indefinitely obstruct my administration from doing the people’s work — and the Wisconsin Supreme Court agrees, but Republican lawmakers are continuing their unlawful behavior anyway,” Evers said in a statement about the court filing. “At the end of the day, this lawsuit is about following the law and making sure there’s accountability for elected officials if they fail to do so. It shouldn’t take going to court to get Republican lawmakers to comply with state law and Supreme Court decisions, but it seems like that’s what it’s going to take, unfortunately.” 

Evers argues in the filing in Dane County Circuit Court that the state law that barred agencies from publishing rules that hadn’t gone through the Joint Committee on the Review of Administrative Rules was invalidated under the state Supreme Court ruling. 

“No statute bars agencies from promulgating final administrative rules pending a legislative committee’s review,” the filing argued. “And even if any such statute existed, it would be facially unconstitutional under Evers II… a legislative committee cannot have discretion over a pre-promulgation pause without violating constitutional bicameralism and presentment procedures. Such a statute would also unconstitutionally intrude on the executive branch’s authority to execute statutes that authorize administrative rulemaking.”

Evers is asking for a declaration and an injunction that orders the Legislative Reference Bureau must publish the nine rules the Evers Administration has already submitted and all administrative rules that have completed all preceding rulemaking procedures and been approved by the governor. 

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said in a statement that Evers is directing agencies to violate “valid” parts of Wisconsin law that “no court has ever questioned, let alone found to be invalid in any respect.”

“Just because Governor Evers is now a lame duck who no longer believes he is accountable to the people, it does not give him the right to ignore laws that the Legislature enacted, and a prior occupant of his office signed,” the Republican leaders said. “That’s not how the rule of law works.”

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Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez secured Republican support for her resolution and, unlike the Hispanic Caucus, was able to get a scheduled floor vote. Ortiz-Velez speaks at a press conference in January. Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner.

Monday marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, and this year’s celebration could be the first time that the Wisconsin Legislature officially recognizes the month. 

Assembly Joint Resolution 83 recognizes that Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 and that it presents an opportunity to honor the contributions of Hispanics and Latinos to the “past, present and future” of Wisconsin and the country. The month starts halfway through September because Sept. 15 marks the anniversary of independence from Spanish rule for  several Central American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The Assembly unanimously passed the resolution authored by Milwaukee Democrat Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, though its journey to the floor was marred by a public dispute among Democratic lawmakers. Black History Month resolutions have also stirred controversy in the past and for many years faced roadblocks to passage. This year the Black History Month resolution passed smoothly. 

Ortiz-Velez authored her resolution after she was not included as an author on a similar effort  by members of the Hispanic Legislative Caucus. Ortiz-Velez had declined to join the newly formed caucus, and its members explained that the authors of their resolution were exclusively  caucus members. 

Ortiz-Velez’s resolution differed from the caucus version in that it doesn’t honor the work of any specific individuals. 

Ortiz-Velez secured Republican support for her resolution and, unlike the Hispanic Caucus, was able to get a scheduled floor vote.

Ortiz-Velez said on the floor that in writing her resolution she “wanted to make sure that I focused on the values that bind us together, so everyone can feel that they were included and had a seat at the table.” She noted in her speech that Hispanic and Latino people make up 7.8% of the state’s population — the largest minority group in Wisconsin. 

“Across the state, Hispanic and Latino families are helping revitalize small towns and urban neighborhoods by opening businesses and buying homes and restoring vacant properties, supporting local schools and churches,” Ortiz-Velez said. “Hispanic and Latino Wisconsinites share the same core values… faith, family, hard work and service to community and country.”

The resolution states that Hispanic and Latino people settled in the area before Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848 and that the 20th century was a time when Central and South Americans increasingly migrated to Wisconsin for work, becoming a “vital part of Wisconsin’s agricultural economy.”

“Wisconsin has become home to more than 450,000 Hispanics and Latinos, who represent one of the fastest-growing demographic groups in the state,” the resolution states. “Hispanics and Latinos live and work all across the state, enriching and revitalizing rural and urban communities alike.” 

It also recognizes that Hispanic and Latino residents have served as elected officials and “have risked their lives to defend the United States in every armed conflict in modern history.” 

Several lawmakers spoke in favor of the resolution ahead of the unanimous vote last week, including Rep. Priscilla Prado (D-Milwaukee), the leader of the Hispanic Legislative Caucus. 

Prado said the resolution was a “long overdue acknowledgment of the meaningful contributions that Hispanic communities have made to our great state.” 

“Unity is possible, even if we disagree on other issues, and at a time when division can feel ever so present, this resolution promises to lean into our shared humanity. It is not about winners or losers. It’s about the community I represent, and that I identify with,” Prado said. “Today, let’s pass this resolution, not just as a formality, but with excitement and heartfelt recognition to our Hispanic communities and their contribution to our great state.” 

Ortiz-Velez said in a statement that if the resolution passes the Senate, it will be the first time a joint resolution recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month will have ever passed the full Legislature. 

The resolution also has bipartisan support in the Senate with Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) as the leading coauthor. The Senate does not have a scheduled floor session during September. 

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Gov. Tony Evers and Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes at the Hannover Messe trade show in Germany last week. (Photo courtesy of WEDC)

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes will step down from her position in the Evers Administration on Sept. 19, according to a Friday announcement. 

Hughes was first appointed to the position in 2019 and was confirmed by the state Senate in 2021 and in 2023. She is the first woman to serve in the position. Prior to that, she served as general counsel and chief mission officer at La Farge dairy cooperative, Organic Valley.

Hughes thanked Evers in a statement for “his vision and support for our efforts to build an economy for all.” 

“Each of our state’s successes serves to inspire more development, more innovation, and more growth,” Hughes said. “People start seeing something good happening in their communities, and they want to keep it moving forward. Opportunities to be in the national news for positive accomplishments show companies and talent that Wisconsin competes on the global stage. Every day, Wisconsin is solving problems for the world, and we’ve made sure the world has us on its mind. I’m incredibly grateful to have been a part of this work and the Evers Administration.”

According to Evers’ office, WEDC during Hughes’ tenure has worked with companies to commit over $8 billion in planned investments and to create or retain over 45,000 jobs. 

Hughes’ departure comes as she considers a run for governor in 2026, in the first open race since 2010, though she made no indication of her future plans in her statement. 

Gov. Tony Evers’ decision not to run so he can spend time with his family has left a lane for Democratic leaders across the state to consider a run. So far, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez entered the race first and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley launched his campaign this week. Others considering include state Sen. Kelda Roys, Attorney General Josh Kaul and state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison).

Evers said Hughes has played an important role in his administration’s focus on “building an economy that works for everyone, investing in Wisconsin’s homegrown talent and Main Streets, and supporting and expanding some of our state’s most iconic brands and companies while attracting new industries and opportunities here to Wisconsin.”

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Wisconsin Superintendent Jill Underly called on the Trump administration to reconsider the decision in a statement this week. Underly at a rally for 2025 Public Schools Week. Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner

The U.S. Department of Education has abruptly terminated nearly $11 million for two grant programs that have been helping Wisconsin serve children with vision and hearing loss and others receiving special education services, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Wisconsin is one of several states to be affected by the cuts to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part D grants. Others include Washington, Oregon and a consortium of New England states including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, according to ProPublica.

Wisconsin Superintendent Jill Underly called on the Trump administration to reconsider the decision in a statement this week. 

“Make no mistake, losing these funds will directly impact our ability to serve some of our most vulnerable kids,” Underly said. “Wisconsin had planned work with these funds that includes direct support for deafblind learners and their families and efforts to recruit and retain new special education teachers.”

According to DPI, the Trump administration said the programs “reflect the prior administration’s priorities and policy preferences and conflict with those of the current administration.” 

The first program to be affected is the Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project, which provides assistive technology tools, coaching, family support and professional training for young people up to the age of 21 with vision and hearing loss. The program currently serves 170 students, and of those, 85% have four or more disabilities. 

The funding cut comes in the middle of a five-year grant cycle. Wisconsin was supposed to get a total of about $550,000 that was expected to last through September 2028.

“These are kids who depend on specialized support just to access their guaranteed right to a free and appropriate public education,” Dr. Underly said. “Losing these dollars at this point in the year will be devastating for the kids who need these supports the most.”

The other program being cut is the State Personnel Development Grant, which focuses on helping address Wisconsin’s critical special education teacher shortage as well as assisting with recruitment, retention and development.

The grant funds from the program, which totaled $10.5 million, was helping to fund a number of programs, including the Special Educator Induction Program. In its first year, the state program helped 280 new special education teachers. 

“At a time when schools in every corner of the state are struggling to find and keep special educators, cutting this support is unconscionable and harmful to every student with an IEP,” Underly said.

According to DPI data, only 46% of new special education teachers in Wisconsin remain in the field after seven years. 

The state agency plans to appeal the Trump administration’s decision.

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Senate and Assembly Democratic lawmakers proposed their own package of education bills ahead of the floor session that would increase general aid for public schools by $325 per pupil, provide transparency on voucher school costs and provide free school meals to students. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Wisconsin Assembly Republicans passed a handful of bills Thursday on an array of issues. Democrats argued the measures won’t solve the problems facing Wisconsinites and unveiled their own proposals. 

The Assembly floor session is the first since lawmakers broke for the summer after completing the state budget. The Senate does not plan to meet this month, and Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) told reporters during a press conference that it was a “shame” they wouldn’t. She said she has had conversations about meeting in October. 

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) said Republicans’ agenda for Thursday was an example of “prioritizing culture wars” rather than “doing what’s right.” 

Democrats’ education bills

Senate and Assembly Democratic lawmakers proposed their own package of education bills ahead of the floor session that would increase general aid for public schools by $325 per pupil, provide transparency on voucher school costs and provide free school meals to students. 

“We would like to see our legislative Republican colleagues focus on the issues that are facing Wisconsinites — issues like cost of living, their public schools and their property taxes,” Neubauer said. “That’s why we’re bringing forward this package today, because we know from conversations with our constituents what they’re really concerned about.”

The Democrats’ education agenda  contrasts with the plan announced by Assembly Republicans earlier this week. Republican proposals include encouraging consolidation of schools, calling on Gov. Tony Evers to opt into a federal school choice program, banning drones over schools and improving math education.

One Democratic  bill would dedicate $325 in additional per pupil state aid to Wisconsin school districts. It would cost nearly $500 million for 2025-26 and nearly $700 million for 2026-27. 

Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) called it the “bare minimum” that school districts need and said it would help school districts avoid raising property taxes. 

“School districts will do better under this bill than current law,” Roys said. “We know every kid around the state deserves to go to a great school so that they can meet their potential, but to be clear, this bill is not everything that our kids need or deserve, not even close.” 

Wisconsin’s most recent state budget did not give school districts any increase in per pupil general aid, despite calls from education advocates, Gov. Tony Evers and other Democrats to provide additional funding.

Republican lawmakers said they would not increase state aid after  Evers used his partial veto power to extend a cap on the annual increase to limits on the revenue districts can raise from local taxpayer of $325 per pupil for the next 400 years. Without state funding, school districts only have the option of increasing property taxes to bring in the additional funds. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau projects that property taxes will increase by more than 7% on average over the next year.

Roys said the bill is a “test” to see if Republicans want to help keep property taxes stable, since providing no state aid to schools will drive those taxes up. She blamed Republicans for placing districts in a situation where they have to go to property taxpayers to keep up with costs. 

Roys also knocked a Republican bill that would encourage school districts to explore consolidation and sharing services. 

“They want to consolidate school districts. They want to close schools, and by the way, everything’s the governor’s fault. Give me a break,” Roys said. “They want to hold the line on property taxes? Prove it.” 

The bill also includes an additional $31 million to ensure no school districts receive less state aid in 2025-26 than they received in 2024-25. 

The Department of Public Instruction’s July 1 estimate found that 277 districts — or 65.8% — of school districts were going to receive less in general aid from the state in 2025. 

Another bill seeks to provide greater transparency on the costs of voucher schools to districts by requiring property tax bills to include information about the cost. The bill would expand on a push that public school advocates are making at a local level after the city of Green Bay was able to add the information. 

Rep. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay) said the bill would help inform residents who may be confused about where their tax dollars are going. 

“We can say, time and time again, that the state is underfunding our local public schools. That is true. What they also don’t understand, and there’s a really simple fix, is how much of that money is leaving their district to go to other voucher schools. In some cases, millions and tens of millions of dollars… It is a simple fix. It is very straightforward,” Andraca said.

Requiring in-person work for state employees 

AB 39 would require state employees to return to in-person work for at least 80% of their time — or four days a week for a full-time employee — starting this year. The bill passed 51-44 with all Democrats opposing it. 

The bill initially required state agency employees to be in person the whole week, but an amendment dropped the minimum to four days. 

Republican lawmakers have been calling for stricter limits on remote work for several years. The policies became normal for state employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Nedweski said she isn’t “anti-telework,” but said remote work needs to be managed and measured. She said agencies haven’t provided data to show it is working. During the Assembly Committee on Government Oversight, Accountability and Transparency hearing on the bill, agency leaders said remote work policies have helped with recruitment and retention of employees.

“It’s time for state employees to return to the office and do the work that Wisconsin’s hard-working taxpayers are paying them to do to the best of their ability and in their most productive and efficient way,” Nedweski said. “We have a policy that allows for remote work agreements. We’re not saying the policy is ending, we’re saying, come back, have your performance evaluated and re-sign your remote work agreement.” 

Rep. Mike Bare (D-Verona), the ranking member of the GOAT committee, pointed to the testimony they heard as he argued the bill wouldn’t help.

“A bill like this with a one-size-fits-all return to work policy will not make our state government better… Remote work policies were born from a crisis, and we all remember too well. They’ve  become a success for our state government. We now have state workers dispersed all across the state. We’ve achieved savings by consolidating physical workspace. We’ve stayed competitive with the private market by appealing to how employees want to work and then what they expect from their work environment.” 

Flag prohibition

AB 58 would prohibit flags, other than the United States flag, the state of Wisconsin flag and a few others on a list of exceptions, from being flown outside state and local buildings including the Wisconsin State Capitol. The bill passed 50-44, along party lines. 

Rep. Jerry O’Connor, the author of the bill, argued that flags are part of the reason for increasing divisiveness, and even political violence. Wisconsin leaders condemned political violence during the session after the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday.

“It’s not the role of the government to pick the winners and losers on partisan and activist issues,” O’Connor said. 

Some of the exceptions would include local government flags, those commemorating veterans, prisoners of war or missing in action, those recognizing a foreign nation for special purposes and a flag of a unit of firefighters, law enforcement officers or emergency medical technicians. 

He said these exceptions are “simply recognizing those flags that are efficiently recognized by all levels of government.”

“We should have a shared outlook as to what we do as elected officials in this building here to promote unity and not division… I think we all could agree that those are the flags that represent all of us,” O’Connor said. 

Rep. Chuck Wichgers (R-Muskego) spoke specifically about pride flags, which are a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, when explaining his support of the legislation. 

“You’re asking every Wisconsinite to sanction what that means,” Wichgers said in reference to the Progress Pride flag. The chevron portions of the flag include black and brown stripes to represent people of color who identify with the LGBTQ+ community as well as those living with HIV/AIDS. The light blue, pink and white stripes in the chevron represent transgender people.

“I can guarantee you when you ask the people that are in favor, they’re not going to know what that chevron means, so we’re endorsing, sanctioning something that is being flown above our flag that is probably divisive,” Wichgers said. 

Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) said, however, that she views the bill as being divisive and as a violation of the First Amendment. 

“I think as a body we should be promoting inclusiveness. It’s not just the more morally right thing to do. It also strengthens our communities, promotes mutual respect, and actually leads to more civic engagement,” Sinicki said. “These symbolic acts do matter. They matter to me, and they matter to the majority of people across Wisconsin.” 

Prohibit health services funding for immigrants without legal status

AB 308, coauthored by Rep. Alex Dallman (R-Markesan), passed 50-44 along party lines. The bill would prohibit state, county, village, long-term care district and federal funds from being used to subsidize, reimburse or provide compensation for any health care services for a person not lawfully in the United States.

Dallman said at a press conference that the bill is meant to stop Wisconsin from expanding its Medicaid to cover immigrants without legal status. Wisconsin already doesn’t allow this. 

“This is going to take a step forward to say that we are going to again keep these funds available for our citizens who are paying in all these dollars,” Dallman said. 

Advocates expressed concerns to the Examiner earlier this week that the bill would lead to health service providers having to check everyone’s citizenship status before providing care.

Rep. Angela Stroud (D-Ashland) said the bill is “the kind of thing that makes people hate politics.”

“We don’t provide health care to undocumented immigrants. The reason we’re voting on this today is so that the majority party can go out and tell their voters that Democrats failed to stop giving health insurance to undocumented people, but we can’t stop something that isn’t happening. Why waste time and taxpayer money this way?” Stroud said. “If you don’t have affordable health care, they don’t want you to hold them accountable. Instead, they want you to blame someone else.”

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