FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2026
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org
Your weekly update on how Trump’s tariff chaos is hitting Wisconsin families and small businesses — and what Congress is (not) doing about it.
NEW AD: Your Famous Family Recipes Are Costing More
Opportunity Wisconsin released a new ad, today "Recipe," holding Congressman Bryan Steil accountable for his votes for tariffs that are driving up the cost of groceries for families across the First District. The ad features Deb, a Mt. Pleasant resident, who walks through what it now costs to make her famous lasagna and the sticker shock she’s seeing at the checkout:
"My famous lasagna … costs a fortune these days. This used to be about a buck-and-a-half. Now, I think I paid about $3 for it. $8 worth of noodles. Where it really gets expensive is the meat. Cheese should not be $9 in Wisconsin. Congressman Bryan Steil supported the tariffs that are raising our prices. We need to tell Bryan Steil to stop raising our costs."
Tariffs backed by Steil have contributed to grocery prices hitting their highest point since 2022, and while the Supreme Court struck down some of President Trump's tariffs last month, prices haven't come down and new global tariffs are already in place.
Watch "Recipe" online
BY THE NUMBERS: Tariffs Will Cost the Average Household $2,512 This Year
A new report from congressional Democrats finds that Trump's tariffs will cost the average American household $2,512 in 2026 — a 44 percent jump from the $1,745 in tariff costs families absorbed last year.
The increase comes in part because the new tariffs will be collected for a full year, and because the Congressional Budget Office has found that importers pass along the cost of tariffs to consumers — and domestic producers raise prices in turn — meaning households end up bearing essentially the entire tariff burden.
That's $2,512 less that Wisconsin families will have to spend on groceries, rent, and school supplies, all while the Trump administration pursues new tariffs and threatens to increase global tariffs to 15 percent.
Read the full report
21 DAYS: Still Waiting for Van Orden and Steil to Say a Word
On February 24th, President Trump's new 10% global tariff went into effect raising costs on virtually everything Wisconsin families buy. Today marks 21 days since that tariff took effect. In that time, Congressmen Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil have said nothing.
Not a statement. Not a press release. Not a call for the administration to provide relief.
With a 150-day clock now ticking, a vote to extend the current tariffs could be coming later this year. Wisconsin families can't afford another vote from Van Orden and Steil in favor of tariffs. They need to speak out against them and start working to refund the billions already paid by Wisconsin families and small businesses.
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