Co-Chair of Joint Finance Committee history of blocking measures to address racial disparities

MADISON – The tragic killing of George Floyd and the protests that have followed in Wisconsin and across the nation are the sad result of years of systemic racism and discrimination. For far too long, Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and her Republican colleagues have pursued policies that cement Wisconsin's unfortunate distinction of having the worst disparities for Black families in the country. As the co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee, Senator Darling has used her position of power to further tip the imbalances in our state. Instead of fighting to eliminate the barriers to success people of color face every day, she routinely does the bidding of powerful special interests, and puts the blame on communities of color.

“Wisconsin residents deserve better than someone who supports policies that suppress communities of color,” said SSDC Executive Director Eric LaGesse. “From voting rights, to education and health outcomes, Sen. Darling is complicit in the systemic problems that prevent Black Wisconsinites from being treated equally. The success of our state relies on the success of the people that live and work here, and they deserve elected leaders that will fight for the rights of everyone.”

Despite Wisconsin having the highest infant mortality rate for African Americans, Sen. Darling voted against a Democratic budget amendment to improve women’s health and birth outcomes. Sen. Darling also rejected funding for clean water protections as thousands of children are continuously poisoned by lead pipes. During her time in the legislature, she has been a staunch supporter of voter suppression policies that disenfranchise people of color.

And It Started Before COVID-19

WISCONSIN -- Like the rest of the country, Wisconsin’s economy continues to suffer because Trump failed to take early and decisive action against the Coronavirus that would protect American families and the economy. Instead of working with medical experts and his economic team to prevent the economy from free-falling, Trump prioritized pushing conspiracy theories and using White House press briefings as partisan campaign rallies rather than reassuring the American people.

To date, there have been nearly ¾ of a million unemployment claims as a result of Trump’s failure to adequately address COVID-19; Wisconsin hit 14.1% unemployment as of April. Businesses across the state have shut down permanently, entrepreneurs have had to put their plans on hold, and spending from everyday Wisconsinites has all but dried up.

But Trump’s assault on Wisconsin’s economy started long before his disastrous response to the Coronavirus.

Farmers, manufacturers, and local economies have paid a heavy price for his chaotic trade war with China that turned the Badger state into a political football. Trump never had a real plan to deliver for Wisconsin, and as a result the state’s farming community has been decimated. 818 dairy farms closed their doors forever, crop farmers saw the markets they took decades to build disappear in just a few short months, and the state's manufacturing sector lost over 4,100 jobs in 2019.

The impact of Trump’s mindless trade-war stretched into local economies as local businesses felt the impact of his toxic agenda. An economic report found that average families stood to lose $1,000 a year because of his failure. All the while Trump ignored the very real pain being felt across Wisconsin, claiming things like “Farmers are over the hump” and supporting Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has said Wisconsin’s small and medium-sized farms need to get bigger or just go out of business.

What’s more is Trump hid behind a multi-billion dollar taxpayer funded bailout that went primarily to large agriculture companies and not the very family farms he put in the line of fire with his trade war. And now the pain is going to get even worse as Trump failed to deliver any real results. It was recently reported that instead of the $50 billion in agriculture products Trump promised China would buy, it is instead a fraction of that total.

“Trump is danger to all of us: whether it is his disastrous response to COVID-19, his enabling of white-supremicists and bigots, or his aimless trade wars -- he is a president only for himself,not Wisconsinites or the American people,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Philip Shulman said. “So many have lost so much: family members and friends, jobs, or life savings. The pain has been endless under Trump. This nation cannot afford four more years of this president, and the November 3rd election can’t come soon enough.”