Citizen Action Weekend 2025 Newsletter, Friday, May 9th
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Citizen Action Reacts to Removal of BadgerCare Expansion from Legislative Republican’s State Budget.
Calls on Governor to Use Veto Powers to Leverage BadgerCare Expansion
Despite overwhelming public testimony supporting Expanding BadgerCare during the public hearing process, the Legislature’s GOP-controlled budget committee, the Joint Finance Committee, again turned its back on the health care needs of their constituents by removing it from the State Budget. Wisconsin is one of only 10 states which has failed to expand its state Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act, denying affordable health care to roughly 80,000 Wisconsinites and costing the state billions in revenue.
The Joint Finance Committee majority took this step despite the fact that their main argument against it was removed this week. GOP lawmakers have argued repeatedly during this legislative session that the push to slash Medicaid by Republicans in Congress, and cut the reimbursement rate for Medicaid Expansion states, made it unwise for Wisconsin to Expand BadgerCare. But Tuesday House Speaker Mike Johnson took cutting federal funding for Medicaid Expansion off the table. Because other Medicaid cuts remain in play that could force many Wisconsinites off Medicaid and damage the state budget, taking Medicaid Expansion dollars would generate over $1 billion extra dollars to fill other potential holes Congress may create in Wisconsin’s critical Medicaid programs. This makes the Joint Finance Committee’s refusal to Expand BadgerCare even more headless and destructive of the public good.
Citizen Action also called on the Governor to leverage his potent constitutional power to veto the budget produced by the State Legislature to finally secure BadgerCare Expansion. “The Governor’s principle constitutional power in the budget making process is his ability to veto the budget in whole or in parts,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “When a Legislature willfully ignores public opinion and harms the interests of Wisconsinites on a life and death issue such as health care, a Governor’s only recourse is to force a showdown. When the people are behind a Governor, as they are overwhelmingly in the case of BadgerCare Expansion, he will prevail.”
Call Governor Tony Evers at 1 (608) 266-1212 and urge him to use his most powerful in the nation veto and publicly threaten that he will veto any state budget from the Legislature that does not include BadgerCare expansion.
Attend “Hands Off Medicaid” Town Hall near you.
Congress has announced plans to cut Medicaid by nearly a trillion dollars — money they’ll hand over to billionaires. These cuts will run people out of their homes, tank local economies, and cost lives. We need to join together and fight back.
Wisconsin’s Medicaid program covers 1.2 million people. It contains BadgerCare, a health insurance program for low-income residents; FamilyCare and IRIS, which fund nursing home care and home healthcare services for seniors and people with disabilities; Birth to 3, which provides comprehensive services for infants with developmental disabilities, and several other programs serving vulnerable populations who would otherwise be excluded from healthcare infrastructure. It is also the largest payer of mental health services, one of the primary funders for substance use disorder rehabilitation, and a budgetary lifeline for hospitals and physicians serving rural and low-income patients.
Join us as we learn about what’s at stake for all of us, hear from our neighbors who are directly at risk, and talk about what we’re doing to fight back and how you can get involved.
For more information and to RSVP for Milwaukee Town Hall, Tuesday, May 13th, 6pm.
For more information contact, Timothy.Faust@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action Driftless Organizing Coop Update: Driftless Co-Op Member Facilitates Hands Off Medicaid Town Hall
Driftless Co-Op member Joni Anderson of Adams WI worked with the local Democratic party to facilitate a Hands Off Medicaid Town Hall in Adams, WI today, Friday, May 9th at 4:00PM at the Adams County Community Center (569 E Cedar St, Adams WI). Healthcare Policy Director, Timothy Faust and myself will be there to update you on the current threats to Medicaid, answer questions and hopefully inspire folks to action.
Joni has been a longtime member of Citizen Action of WI. She has been an active supporter of affordable healthcare and public education. She has attended Joint Finance Hearings and Lobby Days across the state speaking passionately about the need to fully fund public schools and support BadgerCare expansion and the BadgerCare Public Option Bill.
Joni currently serves on the Adams School Board, an active member of the Democratic party and a valuable member of the Driftless Co-Op! When asked about today’s event Joni said “I am excited about the opportunity to work with Citizen Action on the issue of Medicaid. Medicaid helps protect the most vulnerable people in our community as well as throughout our state. Any loss of Medicaid dollars will affect their day to day lives”.
If you want to have a Hands Off Medicaid Town Hall in your community – reach out to me at kristie.tweed@citizenactionwi.org or 608-317-1331.
Other Upcoming Driftless Events:
- Storytelling Workshop – Learn how to share your story with legislators and how to collect healthcare stories from your friends and family: TBD
- Healthcare Action Team Meeting – Prep for upcoming action- May 21st (info coming soon)
- Capitol Lobby Day – Put your new storytelling skills to work and share your concerns with your Representatives in Madison. Transportation and lunch will be provided. RSVP
In solidarity, Kristie Tweed, Driftless Co-Op Organizer; 608-317-1331 or kristie.tweed@citizenactionwi.org
SIGN UP to attend Citizen Action Capitol Lobby Day, Tuesday, May 27th
APPLY to the Citizen Action Movement Politics Academy!
The Movement Politics Academy is BACK! What is it??
It’s a space dedicated to giving every day folks the opportunity to learn how to run for office through values-based campaigns, and achieve bold reforms needed to make Wisconsin a more just and equitable place for all. It’s a space that won’t talk about what “electable” and “qualified” means – we will prepare you to be involved AS YOU ARE, not compromise your values, and make the most out of your time.
It’s a place that will cover a wide range of both campaign and movement topics, including messaging, volunteer and time management, as well as political education around values like healthcare and climate justice.
The academy is for EVERYONE – women, trans and nonbinary folks, folks of color, youth, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, the working class, Veterans regardless of discharge status, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
The first* application launched earlier this week, and closes June 3rd. This is a virtual academy, and will be 8 weeks long on Tuesday nights from 6-7pm, starting July 8th. (*We will be offering a second academy starting Monday, September 8th!)
For more information contact Priscilla Bort at priscilla.bort@citizenactionwi.org
Missed the Annual Meeting?
View the recording here.
Passcode: CAW2025!
This link will be live for the following week. The meeting highlights members across co-ops, approves board nominations, and presents updates on the work being done at Citizen Action of Wisconsin.
Citizen Action in the News
Salon profiled compelling stories from Citizen Action’s Medicaid town hall meetings that show the damage that would be done if Congress slashes Medicaid to fund tax giveaways to the ultra wealthy.
From Salon: “Dana Horstman’s Medicaid story starts around 12 years ago, when she suffered a major spinal cord injury. She told Salon that, after her injury, “I was in the hospital for about five weeks, and then I had outpatient rehab for eight months. Without Medicaid, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Prior to her injury, Horstman said that she was her household’s breadwinner. During a training at her job in event photography, a supervisor noticed something was wrong and asked her to get cleared by a doctor before returning to work. After about two weeks, Horstman was able to get an MRI and doctors found a bone spur.
“I lost my job, my partner actually stayed home with our children, and so now she’s taking care of me. We have no income. We have no Medicaid or Social Security yet, you know, because I’m newly injured, and she couldn’t go get a job because she had to take care of me. It was terrible. It was scary. And we lived on my kids’ part-time job paychecks, yeah, so that’s what we lived on for many months, until I finally got disability coming in,” Horstman explained. “It was about nine months after my injury and surgery and everything that I got into Long Term Care through Medicaid in the state of Wisconsin… Then she, my partner, became my caregiver, my paid caregiver through Medicaid dollars, through the Long Term Care program.”
Listen to “Time to fight for BadgerCare” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We discuss breaking news in the fight to save Medicaid this week as House Speaker Mike Johnson rules out cutting the federal match to states for Medicaid Expansion states. This is huge for Governor Tony Evers’ plan to accept federal money to expand BadgerCare in the state budget. We renew our call for the Governor to publicly declare that he will veto any state budget that fails to expand BadgerCare. Despite the victory in Congress for Medicaid Expansion, Speaker Vos and Republicans in the Joint Finance Committee deleted expanding BadgerCare from their state budget Thursday afternoon. It’s time for the Governor to fight for his budget. We urge our listeners to call Governor Tony Evers at 1 (608) 266-1212 and urge him to use his most powerful in the nation veto and publicly declare that he will veto any state budget from the Legislature that does not include proper funding for our public schools and BadgerCare expansion.
Citizen Action member and child care provider, Julia Bennker, joins us to discuss the Joint Finance Committee’s disastrous decision to remove child care funding from their state budget. Julia tells us about how child care providers are organizing a strike that will start Tuesday. (Photo: Julia speaking to Senator Romaine Quinn, a member of Joint Finance Committee, who voted to remove child care funding from the state budget despite overwhelming public testimony in support at public hearings last month.)
Listen to the show.
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