Citizen Action Weekend 2025 Newsletter, Friday, June 20th

Friday, June 20th
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Busy Weekend: Citizen Action members show up at No Kings Rallies and Democratic Party of Wisconsin Convention. 

Citizen Action member speaks at Milwaukee No Kings Rally

Citizen Action member, Shuniya Cooper, a college student from Milwaukee and a BadgerCare recipient who lives with lupus, spoke last Saturday, June 14th at the No Kings Rally in Milwaukee. Shuniya spoke passionately about President Trump’s attack on Medicaid to fund tax cuts for billionaires and how it impacts her life and the lives of millions of Americans like her.

Shuniya has also been to the state Capitol twice this year to speak with state legislators about the importance of accepting the federal money to expand BadgerCare tens of thousands of people.

An estimated 15,000 packed into Cathedral Square, as did other at over 50 sites throughout Wisconsin.

In addition, dozens of Citizen Action members attend the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Convention to organize support among delegates and party members for Governor Evers to fight for his budget. Our organizing was surely noticed by all.

From The Recombobulation Area:

“There’s also the issue immediately before the governor, which is the state budget. Any 2026 decisions, he’s said, will come after the budget. But, led by Citizen Action of Wisconsin and several other groups, many were wearing stickers over the course of the convention weekend encouraging the governor to veto the budget.

So, Governor Tony Evers has more than a few difficult decisions in his future.”

Read more from Dan Shafer, who also appeared on this week’s Battleground Wisconsin Podcast to elaborate on his position.

Contact your State Legislators today and tell them to reject this state budget that fails to properly fund our public schools, Expand BadgerCare, fund child care, or close Green Bay prison.

We are calling on Governor Tony Evers to veto any budget that fails these key public priorities. Call Governor Tony Evers at 1-608-266-1212.

Sign our letter to Governor Tony Evers telling him we have his back and want him to fight for these priorities!

Thanks to the dozens of  members who made phone calls over a few hours Tuesday evening to Wisconsin voters having hundreds of great conversations with them about the huge stakes in the state budget and encouraged them to leave a message to Governor Evers supporting his budget and urging him to fight for it!

Citizen Action Northwest Organizing Cooperative members attend rally today in support of Medicaid outside Mayo in Eau Claire.

Event was organized by Save Our Hospitals.

Citizen Action Driftless Organizing Cooperative Update: Driftless Healthcare Action Team Hears Fair Share Deficit Presentation from member Gwena Ehlers

On Wednesday, Gwena Ehlers, a new member of the Driftless Co-Op and Healthcare Action Team, gave a compelling presentation on Fair Share Deficit and hospital accountability. The Fair Share Deficit refers to the gap between the tax breaks nonprofit hospitals receive and the actual value of the community benefits  they provide in return.

The discussion highlighted how large hospital systems often carry significant deficits, while many rural hospitals offer a surplus in community benefits. The team expressed strong interest in launching a local campaign to demand greater transparency and ensure that larger hospitals fulfill their obligations—especially when it comes to providing charity care and truly earning their nonprofit status.

The Action Team agreed to conduct further research and begin planning strategic next steps. The presentation sparked concern among members, but also energized the group. Everyone left feeling motivated and ready to take action.

Gwena recently joined our team after returning to the La Crosse area. She is a recent graduate of Ohio University majoring in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Gwena has been an amazing addition to the team and really rolled up her sleeves and dove into this project. Thanks Gwena!

Upcoming Driftless Organizing Cooperative Events:

• Climate Action Team Meeting – TBD in July – 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 or help make snow cones.

Wisconsin Needs Your Voice on Clean Energy

The Badger Hollow Wind Project, proposed in Iowa County, would bring dozens of wind turbines to rural Wisconsin, powering thousands of homes with clean electricity and creating local jobs. This is the first wind farm proposal in over ten years, and the decision is now in the hands of just three Public Service Commissioners.

We need voices from every corner of the state to speak up. Submit your public comment before June 26 and urge the PSC to approve this project. Whether you care about energy jobs, lower utility bills, or protecting rural land from fossil fuel expansion, your voice matters. Let’s show that Wisconsin is ready to lead on renewable energy.

Read our explainer or submit written comments here.

Attend Where is Ron Johnson Town Hall in Madison, Saturday, June 21st, 4pm

As millions of Americans are having their health care, nutrition funding, and services threatened, The Fighting Oligarchy Coalition, is hosting a town hall for Ron Johnson to send the message that Wisconsinites don’t just want to save our services, we want to expand them! Join us.

Saturday, June 21st, First Unitarian, 900 University Bay Dr, Madison

Meet Citizen Action of Wisconsin Executive Director, Robert Kraig & Citizen Action Organizer Ruben Aquino, at the Stand Together Volunteer Fair, Sunday, June 22nd, 4pm, Doctors Park, Fox Point.

Citizen Action Southeast Organizing Co-op Update: Building Power for Health & Climate

🏥 Medicaid Team Meeting, Thursday, July 10th, 6:00 PM

Our fight to protect and expand health care is just getting started! Join us for our First Medicaid team meeting as we strategize around budget pressure, storytelling, and local action. Whether you’re new or already plugged in, this is the perfect time to join the fight for health care justice. We will meet at the Citizen Action office, 4716 W Vliet St, Milwaukee, WI 53208

🔥 Climate Justice Team – Members Needed!

We’re laying the groundwork for a bold, people-powered Climate Justice Team right here in Southeast Wisconsin. We need members ready to fight for:

• Green jobs
• Energy democracy
• Climate resilience for our communities

If you care about the environment and equity, we want you at the table. Planning starts soon—reach out now to get involved! Contact: Ruben Aquino: ruben.aquino@citizenactionwi.org

Citizen Action in the News

At the Wisconsin Democratic Convention last weekend, Citizen Action organizers and WEAC leaders, and child care providers distributed stickers urging Governor Evers to Veto any budget that does not expand BadgerCare, adequately fund public education and child care, and close the Green Bay prison.

See coverage from the Recombobulation Area.

Citizen Action continued to keep the pressure on Congressional Republicans, holding “Hands Off Medicaid” town halls across the state. See coverage from

Green Bay Press Gazette, Rice Lake Chronotype, and Barron News-Shield.

Listen to “Evers in 2026? Budget battle sets the stage” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast

This week we dig into the federal and state budget battles, and the question of a 3rd term for Governor Tony Evers, with special guests Dan Shafer of the Recombobulation Area and Civic Media, and Steven Webb from Planned Parenthood.

We open with a discussion of the critical importance of Juneteenth this year, as DEI is under attack by the Trump Administration, and some cities and businesses pull back from supporting local celebrations.

Robert provides a simple explanation of how the new U.S. Senate budget bill is even worse on Medicaid than the House budget bill, and it particularly damages rural hospitals.

We update listeners on the latest State Budget news, including Speaker Vos’ continuing crusade to force Governor Evers’ hand with slashing cuts to UW System funding. The plot thickens because Senate Republicans can’t pass a budget without UW cuts or they will lose the most right-wing members of their caucus, Senators Kapanga & Nass.

In addition, to serious tactical disagreements with the governor on how to win his state budget priorities the public supports by huge margins, like properly funding public schools, expanding BadgerCare, funding child care and closing Green Bay, their is now a serious discussion about whether it is time for Governor Evers to lead by a timely passing of the torch to the next generation of Democratic leaders and not running for Governor in 2026. We welcome award winning Milwaukee area journalist, Dan Shafer, founder of The Recombobulation Area and now part of the Civic Media network, who makes the case that it’s time to pass the Torch and Tony Evers should not run for a third term as governor. He argues Wisconsin’s governor needs to do what so many other Democrats have failed to do and step aside when the time is right.

We close the show with Citizen Action board member, Steven Webb, who is the executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, to discuss the devastating cuts to healthcare in the federal Budget bills that will damage Planned Parenthood’s ability to provide vital frontline healthcare to Wisconsinites. Steve tells us how you can also get involved in organizing with PPAWI to fight back.

Listen to the show.

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