Citizen Action Weekend 2025 Newsletter, Friday, May 30th
Friday, May 30th
Join Citizen Action Today!
Historic Capitol Day of Action a Huge Success!
Sign our Letter to Governor Tony Evers.
Citizen Action of Wisconsin joined with public school advocates from Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN), child care providers from WECAN, teachers’ unions (WAEC, major WEAC affiliates and AFT – Wisconsin) and advocates for criminal justice reform (WISDOM to demand that Governor Tony Evers take a stronger stand in the current state budget fight and threaten to use his significant veto power in negotiations with Republicans.
Sign our Letter to Governor Tony Evers.
“We’re unifying our power to try to influence the governor to fully use his power, and have his back and stand behind him if he must use his veto,” said Robert Kraig, executive director, Citizen Action Wisconsin, at the media event in the Senate Parlor.
“There’s a tremendous amount of Democratic leverage in this budget, if you consider both the number of Democratic members in the Senate and the veto,” Kraig said.
“These are groups with large memberships calling on the governor to stand and fight,” he added.
Nearly 200 citizens from these grassroots groups packed the Wisconsin state Senate parlor and marched on Governor Tony Evers’ office this Tuesday. We were there to deliver a letter — which we encourage you to sign online — demanding that Governor Evers veto the state budget if it doesn’t include key elements of the governor’s own budget proposals: properly funded public schools, Expanding Badgercare, funding childcare, and building no new prisons.
Contact your State Legislators today and most importantly, call Governor Tony Evers at 1-608-266-1212 and tell him to veto any state budget that fails to meet these critical priorities in his state budget. Sign our Letter to Governor Tony Evers.
Before the media event, all attendees participated in lobby visits with their state legislators on these same priorities.
Read the outstanding story in the Wisconsin Examiner.From the Wisconsin Examiner: Shaniya Cooper, a college student from Milwaukee and a BadgerCare recipient who lives with lupus, talked about how scary it was to realize she could lose her Medicaid coverage under congressional Republicans’ budget plan. “To me, this is life or death,” she said. When she first learned about proposed Medicaid cuts, “I cried,” she said. “I felt fear and dread.”
She described having a flare-up of her lupus, with swelling and fluid around her heart, and then finding out she had to fill out paperwork to reapply for Medicaid, since it was unclear if her treatment would still be covered.
“It isn’t just about the paperwork. It’s about waking up each day with the fear that the care I might need might be gone tomorrow,” she said, “It’s about knowing that people are quietly suffering mentally and emotionally from the stress and the anxiety that these policies are creating.” Her voice broke and people around her yelled encouragement. “You got this!” someone shouted. “What’s at stake here is humanity,” she continued, “and if we do nothing, we allow these cuts to happen, we are silently endorsing the neglect and slow death of those who cannot afford prime insurance. That is not a civil society. That is not justice.”
Thanks to everyone who attended!
Read the Wisconsin State Journal article.
Listen to an interview with Pat Kreitlow with Robert Kraig and Heather DuBois Bourenane from WPEN.
Sign our Letter to Governor Tony Evers.
Apply to the Citizen Action Movement Politics Academy by June 3rd
What is the Academy? It’s a space dedicated to giving everyday 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. We’re a space that won’t talk about what “electable” and “qualified” means – we want to prepare you to be involved as you are, not compromise your values, and make the most out of your time.
The academy will cover a wide range of both campaign and movement topics, including messaging, volunteer and time management, as well as political education around movement values like healthcare and climate justice.
This application is open to everyone ready to seriously commit to an inclusive community that advances bold reforms.
Women, trans, and nonbinary 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.
More info and application found here!
Reach out to CAW Political Director Priscilla Bort at [email protected] with any questions.
Attend “Hands Off Medicaid” Town Hall in Rice Lake, June 9th and St. Croix Falls, June 10th
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives voted on a budget that cuts 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, close rural hospitals, and cost lives. Now the vote goes to the Senate, with a goal of getting it to the President by July 4. We need to stand together and fight back.
Citizen Action is co-hosting two more Hands Off Medicaid Town Halls in Northwest Wisconsin in June. We’ll learn about what’s happening and what it means from policy expert and Citizen Action healthcare organizer Timothy Faust, hear from people directly affected by what’s happening, and ask questions or share information with each other about Medicaid. Come by or tell a friend—whether you’re already ready to march, you have a story to share, or if you have questions that need answers, join us in:
- Rice Lake: Monday, June 9 at 6:30pm (doors at 6) at UWEC-Barron at The Commons in Meggers Hall. RSVP
- St. Croix Falls: Tuesday, June 10 at 6:30pm (doors at 6) in the St. Croix Falls Public Library. RSVP
Citizen Action Southeast Organizing Co-op Update: Training for Action, Showing Up for Each Other.
Southeast Co-op Meet & Greet – Tuesday, June 3rd at 6 PM
Want to learn more about who we are, what we’re fighting for, and how you can plug in?
Join us for our next Meet & Greet:
🗓 Tuesday, June 3rd, ⏰ 6 PM
📍 4716 W Vliet Street, Milwaukee
🔗 RSVP here
Whether you’re new to organizing or just ready to deepen your involvement, this is a great way to connect with co-op members, learn about upcoming campaigns, and find your place in the movement.
Snacks, vibes, and solidarity guaranteed. 💥
Bystander Intervention & De-escalation Training, Saturday, May 31st!
We know that organizing doesn’t stop at the Capitol or a campaign meeting. Real community safety starts with us—with how we show up in everyday moments to protect one another and intervene when harm is happening. That’s why we’re excited to share a powerful opportunity hosted by our partners at SURJ Milwaukee:
🗓 Saturday, May 31
⏰ 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
📍 Northside Kenosha Library
Join us for a Bystander Intervention and De-escalation Training, where we’ll learn practical tools to intervene safely in public instances of interpersonal violence. This training will focus on:
- How to assess and respond in real-time
- Practicing scenarios where you support targeted identities
- What it looks like to be both the intervener and the person experiencing harm
This is a space for learning, growing, and practicing courage—because being ready matters. Whether you’re seasoned in direct action or just beginning to step into your power, this training is for you.
Bring a friend, bring your questions, and bring your commitment to showing up for your community 💪
Citizen Action Driftless Organizing Cooperative Update: The Driftless Co-Op in Madison for Lobby Day!
Press Event Today! – Citizen Action and Medicaid recipients will hold a news conference outside Rep Van Orden’s office (picture below) to discuss their attempts to meet with Van Orden, tell their stories about how Medicaid is vital to their families and publicly call upon Derrick Van Orden to honor his promise not to cut Medicaid and vote No on any following House budgets.
Upcoming Events:
Healthcare Action Team Meeting – June 16th at 6PM – in person (location tbd) and on zoom) Watch your email for upcoming actions in the Driftless. Things are changing quickly based on votes happening in DC and we will respond accordingly.
Climate Action Team Meeting – TBD in late June – please contact me if you are interested in joining
Juneteenth Celebration – Sat, June 21st at Riverside Park – We will have a booth and be making snow cones! Please let me know if you can take a booth shift.
In solidarity, Kristie Tweed, Driftless Co-Op Organizer, 608-317-1331 or [email protected]
Citizen Action in the News
It has been a banner week for media coverage of our work.
Immediately after the passage of a budget reconciliation bill which slashed Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, Citizen Action Northwest Wisconsin Organizing Co-op members in Eau Claire had an immediate action in front of Congressman Derrick Van Ordin’s office. Van Ordin pledged not to cut Medicaid but then did it anyway. See coverage from ABC TV 18 Eau Claire and NBC TV 13 Eau Claire. Also, Citizen Action Executive Director Robert Kraig did a long interview on the fight to prevent gashing cuts to Medicaid, and its role in the resistance, on WORT Radio in Madison.
After Senator Ron Johnson complained that the House cuts to Medicaid do not go far enough, Citizen Action Northeast Wisconsin Organizing Co-op members and allies held an immediate action in front of the Senator’s office in Oshkosh. See coverage on CBS TV 2 Green Bay/Fox Valley, ABC TV 2 Green Bay/Fox Valley.
Citizen Action Northwest Wisconsin Organizing Co-op member Julie Bennker was featured in a Wisconsin Health News story on the BadgerCare Expansion debate.
As reported in our cover story this week, Citizen Action’s big mobilization at the Capitol with key partner organizations and unions urging Governor Evers to use his veto leverage to win a fair budget received substantial media attention despite a busy news day in Madison. See coverage from Wisconsin Examiner, Wisconsin State Journal, Pat Kreitlow Show (Civic Media), and Spectrum News One.
You can also listen to a 30 minute interview with Citizen Action Executive Director Robert Kraig on the state budget fight on WORT Radio (scroll down to the Thursday edition of 8 O’Clock Buzz)
Listen to “Week of Action in the Public Interest” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We debrief the historic Capitol Day of Action this Tuesday which called on the Governor to veto any budget that does not meet basic standards. It was organized by Citizen Action Wisconsin in partnership with Wisconsin Public Education Network, and WISDOM; and co-sponsored by: Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), AFT-Wisconsin, WECAN, Progress North, Madison Teachers Inc, Milwaukee Teachers Education Association, Green Bay Education Association, Kenosha Education Association, Racine Education Association, and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. 200 citizen-lobbyists met with their legislators, attended a media event with all the partner organizations, who then marched to Governor Tony Evers’ office with a jointly signed letter encouraging the Governor to veto any budget from the Legislature that fails to properly fund public schools, expand BadgerCare, fund childcare, and close Green Bay Correctional and builds no new prisons.
We review multi-millionaire Ron Johnson’s abandonment of Wisconsin’s working families by demanding even deeper cuts to Medicaid and food assistance to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. In addition, this week Johnson declared that Milwaukee Public Schools should get no help from the federal government for cleaning up lead that is poisoning our children. Johnson also rejected science and life-saving measles vaccine requirements for children.
Derrick Van Orden emerged again from his bunker and started lying about his broken promise not to cut Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office is clear that 13.6 million Americans will lose health coverage due to cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in the House Budget Bill, with 11,000 in Van Orden’s district losing Medicaid because of his vote. We encourage listeners to call or visit his office and remind him he broke his promise to voters and now he is lying.
We welcome the President of SEIU Wisconsin Healthcare, Pat Raes, to discuss the historic 5 day strike at Meriter Hospital in Madison launched by nurses this week. Pat is a 35 year veteran of the hospital and tells us about why they are striking and how you can support their effort to protect the safety of their patients by fighting the corporatization of healthcare which puts profits over care.
Listen to the show.
Sign our Letter to Governor Tony Evers.
Social media post of the week
