FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2025
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org
ICYMI: Rep. Steil’s constituents discuss his votes to raise costs following launch of seven-figure ad campaign
Roundtable discussion in Kenosha highlights Steil’s votes for costly tariffs, cuts to SNAP and Medicaid
KENOSHA, Wis. – In case you missed it, constituents of Congressman Bryan Steil gathered in Kenosha last night to celebrate the launch of Opportunity Wisconsin’s seven-figure ad campaign and participate in a roundtable discussion on Steil’s votes to raise costs and slash programs like SNAP and Medicaid.
On Monday, Opportunity Wisconsin announced the launch of its paid media campaign with a new TV ad highlighting how tariffs backed by Steil and Republicans in Congress are forcing grocery costs to skyrocket. Community leaders and the family featured in the new ad participated in a roundtable discussion and premiere party last night in Kenosha. The full roundtable discussion is available here.
Joe, the Kenosha firefighter featured in the new ad, spoke about the challenges his family faces with rising grocery prices, saying, “We're right around about $1,000 a week spent on groceries. I’m a fireman, my wife’s a nurse, you know, we make an honest living, but we’re not asking for much. But talking to her about this, you just kind of hope that our representatives in Madison and in DC as well start thinking about their constituents a little bit more and less about partisan politics.”
"All the programs that are getting cut, Medicaid, SNAP, all of our safety nets are all being cut so that that money can get funneled to the wealthiest in tax cuts,” said State Representative Ben DeSmidt. “The funds that are required to finance these programs are nothing compared to the tax cuts that are being doled out to the richest among us. And so there's a complete misbalance of how this government should be working.”
“From the end of October to the beginning of November, there was a 33% increase in the amount of families that came to get food,” added April Guenther from the Shalom Center. “If the cost of everything is going up and people's wages stay the same, we're going to continually have this problem."
Tariffs backed by Congressional Republicans including Bryan Steil are sending food costs through the roof. As more tariffs continue to go into effect, grocery prices have already hit their highest point since 2022. Earlier this year Steil also voted for the Republican Tax Law, which included the largest cut to Medicaid in history and slashed funding for SNAP, forcing even more families to struggle to put food on the table.
###
