Latest news with #RobertKraig
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Grassroots pressure on Gov. Evers reflects nationwide impatience with Dems
Robert Kraig of Citizen Action at the podium in the Senate parlor in the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday, May 27 , surrounded by representatives of other grassroots groups | Ruth Conniff/Wisconsin Examiner More than 100 citizens from an array of grassroots groups packed the Wisconsin state Senate parlor and marched on Gov. Tony Evers' office Tuesday, their chants bouncing off the marble walls inside the Capitol. They were there to deliver a letter — which they urged others to sign online — demanding that Evers veto the state budget if it doesn't include key elements of the governor's own budget proposal. 'The whole Democratic grassroots is now demanding that national leaders stand and fight,' said Robert Kraig, executive director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, who helped organize the effort, 'and I think that spirit is now being translated down to the state level.' Public school advocates, child care providers, teachers' unions and advocates for criminal justice reform and health care access came to demand that Evers take a stronger stand and threaten to use his significant veto power in negotiations with Republicans. 'There has been a lot of talk over the last year about whether or not we can get this done as adults, or whether we have to be impolite,' Michael Jones, president of Madison Teachers, Inc., said of state budget negotiations. 'Too much gets conceded about being polite,' he added. 'Politeness without reciprocal respect is just being a sucker.' In their letter, the advocates assured Evers that Wisconsinites were behind his original budget proposal — the one Republican legislative leaders threw in the trash. The advocates urged him to 'hold the line' and reject any budget that doesn't accept federal Medicaid expansion money, provide a 60% state reimbursement to schools for special education costs, close the Green Bay Correctional Institution, restore his proposed $480 million for child care and reject the snowballing growth of school vouchers. Brooke Legler, a child care provider and co-founder of Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed (W.E.C.A.N.), has been leading a recent high-profile effort to sound the alarm about the loss of child care funds. 'So many of us are going to be closing our doors because we cannot keep going and parents can't afford to pay what they are paying,' she said during a press conference in the Senate parlor. Treating child care like any other business doesn't work, she added. Instead, it needs to be seen as a public good. 'Gov. Evers declared this the year of the kid,' Legler said, but 'it's not going to be' if Evers signs a budget that leaves out crucial funding for child care. Tanya Atkinson of Planned Parenthood Wisconsin spoke at the press conference about congressional Republicans' effort to cancel Medicaid funding for patient care at Planned Parenthood. In Wisconsin, 60% of Planned Parenthood's patients have Medicaid as their form of insurance, she said. Most of them live in rural areas, are low-income, or are women of color who 'continue to be further pushed out of our health care system,' Atkinson said. 'And it doesn't have to be that way. It is time for us to take the politics out of sexual reproductive health altogether.' Atkinson and the other assembled advocates praised Evers' budget proposal, including the part that would finally allow Wisconsin to join the 40 other states that have accepted the federal Medicaid expansion, making 90,000 more Wisconsinites eligible for Medicaid coverage and bringing about $1.5 billion into the state in the next budget cycle. 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.' 'We are here because we will not be pitted against each other to fight for crumbs in a time of plenty,' said Heather DuBois Bourenane of the Wisconsin Public Education Network. 'We will not be divided on the issues that matter most where we live, because some people refuse to listen to us.' DuBois Bourenane derided what she called a 'cycle of disinvestment, first of all, but it's also a cycle of disrespect,' by Republicans who dismissed Evers' budget proposals despite overwhelming public support. Increasing funding for schools, expanding Medicaid coverage and reforming the criminal justice system by closing prisons and reducing incarceration are popular measures. 'Gov. Evers has the power, with his veto pen, to break [the cycle],' she said, 'and we're calling on him to use the full force, the full power of that pen, to say, enough is enough. It stops with me.' '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. Evers did not make an appearance or respond to the rowdy group at the Capitol. But it was clear they have no intention of going away quietly, SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers propose new bill to address a rapidly worsening issue impacting millions of Americans: 'We cannot afford to ignore this crisis'
The Climate Accountability Act in Wisconsin aims to cut harmful carbon pollution by about half by 2030 in hopes of achieving net-zero carbon pollution by 2050. Introduced by Citizen Action of Wisconsin — a nonprofit dedicated to economic, racial, and environmental justice — the bill would hold the state of Wisconsin accountable in establishing a strategy backed by conservation and sustainable policies to address climate concerns. As reported by The Daily Cardinal, Robert Kraig, executive director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, said: "Climate science is clear: to prevent the worst effects of climate change, we need to cut emissions in half by 2030. What the Legislature lacks is a plan to achieve that goal, and this bill ensures we develop one." Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde, a lead sponsor of the bill, quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., emphasizing the necessary haste of action with the "fierce urgency of now." "We are stewards of future generations, and we must take bold steps now to ensure a sustainable and livable planet," Rep. Moore Omokunde added. "We cannot continue burning fossil fuels without a viable plan for alternatives that benefit both urban and rural Wisconsinites." Wisconsin Sen. Chris Larson, also a bill sponsor, stressed the need for leadership on a state level, stating: "The federal administration has abandoned its responsibility to tackle climate change. Wisconsin must step up. The effects of climate change are already visible, from extreme storms to declining air quality. We cannot afford to ignore this crisis." While the national average percentage of electricity from renewable sources was about 21% in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Wisconsin was far behind at only 9% of in-state electricity generation. Sen. Larson further explained that shifting away from dirty energy and prioritizing clean energy not only reduces pollution but also creates jobs and saves residents money in the long run. While the future of the Climate Accountability Act remains uncertain, sponsors and supporters are hopeful. "Climate change is not a partisan issue; it's a reality," Rep. Moore Omokunde stated. Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely Somewhat Depends on the time of year Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. With previous federal climate policies in limbo under the current administration — such as methane fees and clean energy projects funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act — it is up to the states to take action to protect current and future constituents. It is crucial to public health and economic success and can also serve as an example for national consideration. With 2024 being the hottest year ever recorded, as confirmed by NASA after record-breaking temperatures in previous years, there is no denying that the world is getting warmer. Having a plan on a national, state, and individual level is important in offsetting what could be catastrophic consequences. Consider reducing plastic in the home and opting for natural cleaning products. Walking and biking instead of driving whenever possible is another great way to reduce your carbon footprint and help cool things down on our planet. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
