Madison – July 1, 2025 – End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault appreciate the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) for investing $20 million in victim services funding. However, that funding is only for one year of the biennium, effectively creating a funding cliff for crime victim services on June 30^th of 2026.

MILWAUKEE - With Matt on vacation this week, Robert is the solo host. On this week's episode we dig deeper into the state budget battle with three well positioned guests. First we welcome  Peegy Wirtz-Olsen, the President of WEAC, to discuss the devastating consequences of proposed GOP cuts to public education and why her union and organizing groups such as Citizen Action are calling on the Governor to veto a bad budget.. Next, we are joined by Senator Kelda Roys, a member of the powerful Joint Finance Committee with an inside view of the process, to explain the stakes in this year's budget battle and why Republicans abruptly stopped work on the budget last week. Finally, Senator Chris Larson joins Kelda and Robert to discuss how the combination of the Governor's veto power and the new leverage Senate Democrats have with a divided Republican Senate Caucus to win a better state budget on health care, education, child care, and criminal justice reform.

Listen to the show.

Listen to Battleground Wisconsin Podcast

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/childcare-dropoff-s460.pngA quarter of providers across the state said they are likely to close their doors if the Wisconsin State Legislature fails to make critical investments.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/laura/think-for-yourself-2025-s430.pngWelcome to America, where facts are optional, fear is currency, and everyone’s one meme away from a meltdown. I wrote this blog to drag the manipulation machine into the spotlight—where it belongs. If you’ve ever asked, how the hell did we get here?... pull up a chair. You’re not alone.

MADISON—As the Joint Committee on Finance announced the cancellation of today’s meeting, which would have taken up the Department of Children and Families budget, Democratic members and other legislators visited Learning Ladder in Cottage Grove. The child care center closed last year after Republicans removed Child Care Counts from the budget. Lawmakers called for urgent and direct investment in Wisconsin’s child care system, and this is the outcome of inadequate investments into our early childhood education.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/real-estate-for.sale-s5.jpgGov. Evers promotes access to safe, reliable, and affordable housing.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/laura/trump-parade-2025.pngOn June 14, Donald Trump will throw himself a $45-million military-themed birthday party, paid for by American taxpayers. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when a narcissist uses a government like a mirror, this parade is it.

MADISON - Senator Jamie Wall (D-Green Bay) released the following statement today about the failure of the budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance yesterday night to reimburse Green Bay, Ashwaubenon, and Brown County for public safety costs incurred during the NFL Draft in April. The funding was rejected on a party-line vote.

MILWAUKEE - As the State Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee takes up public education funding, education advocates call for the veto of any budget from the Legislature that does not adequately fund education. Will the Governor listen to his grassroots base, and fight for a budget that meets Wisconsin’s needs, or sign a partisan budget that shortchanges the people of Wisconsin?

We encourage listeners to stop by our table at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention this weekend and pick up a sticker supporting a veto. We invite our listeners to volunteer for a Day of Action Phone Bank next Tuesday, June 17th, 5pm. We will be calling Democratic voters and encouraging them to be transferred to the Governor’s office to leave a message for him. We discuss other upcoming action and events in support winning key priorities in the state budget.

Tammy Baldwin rightly meets with Milwaukee parents and calls out RFK Jr for falsely claiming a federal team in Milwaukee helping with lead problem in schools, when that team was laid off. We review 2 more well attended “Hands Off Medicaid” Town Hall in Rice Lake and St. Croix Falls.

We close with a deeper dive into the current authoritarian moment Trump’s show of military force in LA to suppress largely peaceful protests reveals. We encourage attendance at the peaceful mobilization Saturday at No Kings Events, including 50 in Wisconsin.

Join/Donate to Citizen Action of Wisconsin.

Listen to the show.

Volunteer for Day of Action Phone Bank, Tuesday, June 17th, 5pm – 7:30pm

Green Bay, Wis. — Democratic members of the Wisconsin State Legislature from Brown County were present at the Brown County Board of Supervisor’s special meeting last night discussing movement of the coal piles in the 30^th Senate and 89^th Assembly Districts.