The Grinch Who Stole Your Healthcare: New digital ads highlight Reps. Steil and Van Orden’s refusal to extend health care tax credits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2025
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org
 

The Grinch Who Stole Your Healthcare: New digital ads highlight Reps. Steil and Van Orden’s refusal to extend health care tax credits

New ad campaign launches as Wisconsin families are set to see premiums more than double in 2026

MADISON, Wis. – Opportunity Wisconsin has launched a new holiday-themed digital ad campaign in the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts to highlight Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden’s refusal to extend health care tax credits. 

By refusing to extend health care tax credits, Steil and Van Orden are standing by while premiums more than double for tens of thousands of Wisconsin families at the start of the new year, which will force many to go without the care they need. Congress is running out of time to take action. 

Thanks to bipartisan support, a discharge petition will force a vote on a three-year extension of these cost-saving tax credits. Last week, Steil and Van Orden voted for a Republican health care bill which failed to include an extension of the tax credits. Analysis of their proposal also shows it will actually raise rates and jeopardize access to care. 

“Working families are being hit hard enough this holiday season. Costly tariffs are driving prices through the roof and economic uncertainty is making it harder to put presents under the tree and food on the table. Now, if Republicans like Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden refuse to act, many Wisconsinites will watch health care costs more than double in the new year,” said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. “Steil and Van Orden don’t need to be Grinches – they need to support a three-year extension of health care tax credits and make the holidays a bit brighter for their constituents. It’s time for them to act before it’s too late.”

Opportunity Wisconsin’s new digital ads are part of a four-figure media campaign through the holiday season. These ads are in addition to a previously-launched seven-figure ad campaign in the 1st Congressional District to highlight Steil’s support for policies that are driving up everyday costs.

TODAY: Reps. Steil and Van Orden should vote for three-year health care tax credit extension and reject Republican plan that will raise costs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2025
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org

TODAY: Reps. Steil and Van Orden should vote for three-year health care tax credit extension and reject Republican plan that will raise costs

As the House discharge petition on temporary tax credit extension succeeds, Reps. Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden should immediately support an extension of health care tax credits

MADISON, Wis. – Ahead of today’s House vote on a Republican health care bill that fails to extend health care tax credits and drives up the cost of coverage for working families, Opportunity Wisconsin called on Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden to vote against the legislation and instead support a clean three-year extension of health care tax credits, a plan that now has bipartisan support.

"While many Wisconsin families are bracing for their premiums to double at the end of the year, Republicans in Congress will vote on their own health care bill that completely ignores this crisis,” said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. “Congressmen Van Orden and Steil should vote against this bill because it does nothing to address expiring health care tax credits. In fact, this legislation will make things even worse, drive up health care costs and force more Americans to go without the coverage they need. This doesn’t have to be complicated – Steil and Van Orden should change course and support the three-year extension of health care tax credits and provide the relief their constituents need now.”

CNN reported that the Republican bill would drive up costs: “Funding the cost-sharing subsidies would reduce silver plan premiums, but it would also slash the aid enrollees receive to pay for coverage, in effect raising their monthly payments. And it would come at a time when consumers are already contending with the lapse of the enhanced premium subsidies. Those with moderate incomes would see a big premium increase, said Loren Adler, associate director at the Brookings Institution’s Center on Health Policy. Payments would rise for those who want to purchase other levels of plans.”

The health care tax credits, which have helped millions of Americans afford coverage since 2021, are set to expire on December 31, 2025. Without congressional action to extend them, many Wisconsin families will face dramatic premium increases, with some paying more than double the cost in 2026.

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ICYMI: Holiday shoppers hit with surprise tariff bills as toy and gift prices surge ahead of Christmas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2025
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org
 

ICYMI: Holiday shoppers hit with surprise tariff bills as toy and gift prices surge ahead of Christmas

Tariffs backed by Reps. Steil and Van Orden are raising costs on everything from gifts to groceries—and families are paying the price

MADISON, Wis. – In case you missed it, families are getting an unwelcome surprise this holiday season: costly tariffs are leading to significantly higher prices on toys and online purchases shipped from overseas. Recent coverage details how tariffs backed by President Trump and Republicans in Congress including Reps. Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden are busting holiday budgets for working families—with some consumers facing tariff charges higher than the cost of their purchases and toy prices doubling on popular items.

"Wisconsin families are being blindsided by these tariffs just when they're trying to make the holidays special for their loved ones," said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. "Whether it's surprise bills that cost more than the gifts themselves or toy prices that have doubled, these tariffs backed by Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden are making it nearly impossible for working families to put presents under the tree. Meanwhile, Steil and Van Orden keep voting for massive tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. It's time they stand up against these costly tariffs and start fighting for Wisconsin families instead of protecting the ultra-rich."

NBC News: Surprise tariffs are hitting shoppers this holiday season

• If you order products from abroad this holiday season, you could end up with an unwanted surprise: a pricey tariff bill. This is the first holiday shopping season since the Trump administration made a major change to customs rules, extending tariffs and customs fees to low-value packages that had long been exempt.
   

• Shoppers who buy gifts from overseas should be prepared to pay tariffs before they can put their presents under the tree. And those who dispute an unexpected tariff bill should be ready for a potentially monthslong back-and-forth with major shippers — while late fees pile up.
   

• Bonnie Hardy-Compagno thought she’d be paying a standard 15% import duty from Europe when she ordered $431 worth of skincare products in late August that were shipped from Belgium.
   

• Instead, when her package arrived via UPS in September, she was told that she owed customs charges and fees that were more than the items were worth.
   

• “I was very shocked when it showed up and the delivery driver was like, ‘This is going to be $657 to collect your package,’” said Hardy-Compagno.
   

• The president has said his tariff-based economic policy will boost domestic manufacturing and improve the U.S. economy in the long run. But in the meantime, American businesses and consumers are paying a price.
   

• Many U.S. retailers have decided to raise their prices to account for these higher import costs.
   

• Some international businesses have stopped shipping to the United States altogether, saying it’s not financially feasible to pay big tariffs in order to ship small items.

Quartz: Toys are taking a $1 billion tariff hit for Christmas

• Tariffs are now hitting the once duty-free toy sector in the U.S., bringing import taxes to levels unseen since the mid-20th century. Now, toy companies of all sizes are scrambling to reorganize massive supply chains to avoid paying double-digit tariffs while wrestling with the uncertainty unleashed within the U.S. economy.
   

• "I would think we are probably back to the toy tariff rates of the 1940s," Ed Gresser, the director of trade and foreign markets at the Progressive Policy Institute, told Quartz. He observed that manufacturers in the U.S. have broadly shed jobs for nine months and there's been little, if any, sign that U.S. toymakers are on-shoring their production.
   

• The financial pain is amplified among smaller toy store owners, who have less room to maneuver with thinner margins. That's the case for Joann Cartiglia, the owner of Queen's Treasures, an antique doll store based in upstate New York. Their doll lines are exclusively made in China.
   

•  In Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Lynn Potyen owns The GameBoard, a store that's sold popular board games like Monopoly, puzzles, and strategy games for nearly two decades. She described a "frustrating" situation for her business, one that's constantly shifting gears as game companies shutter and other shortages abound.
   

• "Our industry is very much an import industry because there is no infrastructure here in the United States to create and build the tabletop games that we see," Potyen told Quartz. "This tax has caused us to have to switch products that we're bringing in. We've had to discontinue lines because those companies have closed down. We've had to change to different kinds of games because the products are not even available in our warehouses, or have been out of stock for months at a time."

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Healthcare professionals and Wisconsin families sound alarm as Republicans refuse to prevent healthcare costs from skyrocketing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2025
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org

Healthcare professionals and Wisconsin families sound alarm as Republicans refuse to prevent healthcare costs from skyrocketing

Senate Republicans rejected extending health care tax credits, leaving over 270,000 Wisconsinites facing dramatic premium increases
 

MADISON, Wis. – Following the Senate's rejection of a proposal to extend health care tax credits this afternoon, the former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services joined local healthcare professionals and Wisconsin families to demand members of Congress, including Reps. Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden, take action to address this crisis.

Watch the full press call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSIrbLn5qu8

In Wisconsin, over 270,000 people rely on health care tax credits to afford coverage through the ACA marketplace. Without an extension of these credits, families across the state will see their insurance premiums skyrocket by thousands of dollars. With the Senate’s refusal to act, pressure is now on House Republicans, including Steil and Van Orden, to sign onto a discharge petition and force a vote on a temporary extension of tax credits. The petition requires signatures from only a few Republicans to move forward. 

Speaking on a press call this afternoon, Wisconsinites joined former CMS administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to raise awareness of this issue and urge Congress to act. 

"At the end of the day, I'm just a mom trying to take care of herself so I can take care of my kids. That's it. That's the whole point. My kids need me healthy, my business needs me steady, and I deserve coverage that doesn't make me question whether I can provide for both," said Leah Hammes, a La Crosse mother of three and small business owner. "Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden have to support sending these tax credits to prevent us, their constituents, from losing access to our deserved, affordable health care."

Brooks-LaSure, who served as the administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2021 until earlier this year, said this crisis was preventable.

"It's a crisis, I want to emphasize, that was not inevitable, but rather a choice that Republicans and President Trump have made for the American people. Earlier this summer, congressional Republicans passed and the President signed into law a tax bill that cuts over a trillion dollars from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces. It's the largest cut in our nation's history, and they cut those programs to pay for tax breaks to billionaires and corporations," said Brooks-LaSure. "Wisconsin small businesses make up 99% of the businesses in the state and employ 1.3 million people. These small businesses serve as backbones—we should be celebrating these small businesses, rather than placing extensive strain on them to afford health insurance."

An Eau Claire resident also shared her own healthcare challenges and how coverage from the Affordable Care Act allowed her to access care following a serious illness. 

“I was in a coma for five days, and I was on a ventilator. They weren't sure what was going to happen to me. They thought I was brain dead, but luckily, I woke up,” said Jamie Halfen. “I had a year of physical therapy. I am a recipient of the Affordable Care Act. If I didn't have that insurance, I don't know if I would have been able to have the PT that allows me to walk. I don't know if I would have had the speech therapy that allows me to talk, and I don't know if I would have the occupational therapy that allows me to be able to use my right arm.”

Justin Byers, an EMT in southwest Wisconsin, detailed how high healthcare costs can lead to worse health outcomes that require emergency medical services. 

“ACA subsidies, reductions aren't abstract policy changes. They're felt in real lives by working families, seniors, young adults, and especially rural residents who already face limited health care access, and in EMS, we see those impacts firsthand,” said Byers. “It's a diabetic patient who chooses not to check their blood sugar because they can't afford to test strips. It's a mother with pneumonia who waited because she couldn't afford an urgent care visit. It's a man with chest pain who hesitated to call 911 because he feared the bill more than the heart attack. When people can't afford preventative care, they delay treatment. Then they delay treatment until they have no choice but to call us.”

"Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden must support extending these tax credits to prevent their constituents from losing affordable health care," added Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. "Wisconsin families deserve members of Congress who will fight to keep health care costs down, not stand by while premiums more than double."

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ICYMI: Small businesses cut 120,000 jobs in November as tariffs backed by Reps. Steil and Van Orden take their toll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2025

CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org

ICYMI: Small businesses cut 120,000 jobs in November as tariffs backed by Reps. Steil and Van Orden take their toll

Small businesses are bearing the brunt of economic uncertainty and rising costs as Republicans in Congress prioritize large corporations and the ultra-rich

MADISON, Wis. – In case you missed it, new data shows small businesses are struggling under the weight of tariffs backed by Republicans in Congress including Reps. Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden. According to payroll processor ADP, small businesses cut 120,000 jobs in November – the largest small business job cut since the beginning of the pandemic.

"Wisconsin's small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but the tariffs that Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden voted for are making it tougher for them to succeed," said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. "Tariffs and growing economic uncertainty have already forced small businesses to raise prices, cut jobs, or both. Meanwhile, Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden have continued to vote for massive new tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations instead of fighting for the Main Street businesses that drive Wisconsin's economy. Our small business owners deserve better. It’s time for Steil and Van Orden to vote to end these costly tariffs."

Last weekend Opportunity Wisconsin celebrated Small Business Saturday by visiting with business owners in Racine, Kenosha, La Crosse, and Eau Claire. Local organizers delivered gifts thanking businesses for supporting their community and being strong partners in local economic development.

NBC News: Small businesses suffered major job losses in November, ADP says

• Private employers in the United States shed 32,000 jobs in November, payroll processor ADP said Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting to see an increase of 40,000.

• Smaller businesses have less money and fewer resources than larger companies to contend with higher costs from tariffs, rising utility bills and other economic pressures.

• "Today’s ADP report showing a loss of 120,000 small business jobs in November highlights the lasting damage of Trump-era and Republican economic policies," Richard Trent, the group's executive director, told NBC News. "Trade wars, healthcare cuts, and tax breaks for big corporations have left Main Street businesses struggling to hire and grow."

• The recent private jobs reports released from ADP also showed unsteadiness. Payrolls at private companies have contracted in four of the last six ADP reports, which are released monthly.

Axios: 1 big thing: Why Main Street's pain matters

• The economic fortunes of mom-and-pop businesses are diverging from those of their larger counterparts — a pre-existing gap that now appears to be getting bigger, faster.

• The evidence is in the private-sector labor market, that in recent months, has been propped up by large companies as smaller firms — typically responsible for 40% of U.S. employment — shed workers.

• "Small business hiring really started to slow in April and I attribute some of this to tariffs and the higher cost of doing business that small companies are much less able to absorb," Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at One Point BFG Wealth Partners, wrote in a note.

• Threat level: Main Street is bearing the brunt of an economic slowdown in ways that might make it even harder for small shops to compete with larger companies.

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As tariffs drive Thanksgiving dinners sky-high, Opportunity Wisconsin reminds Reps. Steil and Van Orden about their votes supporting them

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2025

CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org

As tariffs drive Thanksgiving dinners sky-high, Opportunity Wisconsin reminds Reps. Steil and Van Orden about their votes supporting them

Steil and Van Orden have backed costly tariffs and cuts that are driving up expenses for Wisconsin families, leaving working families with a smaller slice of the pie this holiday season

MADISON, Wis. – As families prepare their Thanksgiving menus this year, new data shows how tariffs are sending prices soaring and giving Wisconsin families sticker shock at the checkout this week. 

• Wisconsin Public Radio reports: “An average 15-pound turkey could cost around $30 this Thanksgiving, according to an analysis from Purdue University. That’s a 75 percent price increase since October 2024 — a reversal from the relatively low prices of previous years.”
  

• According to data released by The Century Foundation: “Some staples will run families over 20 percent more than last year’s prices, including onions (56 percent), spiral hams (49 percent), cranberry sauce (22 percent), and creamed corn (21 percent).”

• Polling shows Americans are cutting back this Thanksgiving on food, gatherings, and travel because of higher prices: “Nearly two-thirds of people are stressed about Thanksgiving prices, with 37 percent saying they plan to buy fewer items and one-quarter saying they are planning smaller gatherings to afford the holiday. Another 14 percent say they will forgo typical travel and more than one in ten say they will skip the holiday entirely.”

Experts agree that prices are being driven higher due to costly tariffs supported by the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress including Reps. Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden who have voted multiple times to protect them. 

Ahead of Thanksgiving Day, constituents are reminding Steil and Van Orden of their votes in support of tariffs by delivering greeting cards and pies to their district offices this week. The greeting inside the card tells the congressmen, “Your votes for tariffs have made everything from turkey to potatoes more expensive for Wisconsin families – and there’s no end in sight,” adding, “we’re thankful for a lot this Thanksgiving – but your voting record isn’t making the list.”

ICYMI: Rep. Steil’s constituents discuss his votes to raise costs following launch of seven-figure ad campaign

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. 

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Seven-figure media campaign launches to hold Congressman Bryan Steil accountable for his votes that are driving prices higher

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2025
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org
 

Seven-figure media campaign launches to hold Congressman Bryan Steil accountable for his votes that are driving prices higher

WATCH: “Family Dinner” ad highlights how Steil’s support for costly tariffs is driving up everyday costs for a Kenosha family. Ad premiere event set for tonight in Kenosha.

KENOSHA, Wis. – Opportunity Wisconsin has launched a new seven-figure paid media campaign today with TV and digital ads to hold Congressman Bryan Steil accountable for his votes that are sending costs soaring for families in his district. The first ads in the campaign feature a Kenosha family highlighting how costly tariffs are driving up the cost of almost everything, even family dinner.

“Wisconsin families are paying the price – literally – for Congressman Bryan Steil’s votes in Washington,” said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. “From supporting tariffs that are driving grocery prices through the roof to massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP that are hurting Wisconsinites, we are committed to holding Steil accountable and demanding he work to end the affordability crisis Republicans in Congress created.”

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. 

The seven-figure ad buy will include TV, digital, and mail to 1st Congressional District constituents over the coming months, encouraging them to contact Congressman Steil and demand he vote to lower costs and reverse harmful cuts. Today, Opportunity Wisconsin launched the first TV ad in the campaign, “Family Dinner,” and an accompanying digital ad.

“Family Dinner” Transcript: JOE: “With five kids, dinner time at our house can be a bit hectic. You wouldn’t believe how much food we go through with five kids. It’s not cheap. Nothing but love around that table, but the cost is almost too much to bear. These tariffs are driving grocery prices through the roof. Congressman Bryan Steil voted to support the tariffs that are raising our prices. I’m a firefighter and my wife is a nurse. We should be able to afford a family meal. We need to tell Congressman Bryan Steil to stop raising our costs.”

AD PREMIERE EVENT AND ROUNDTABLE TONIGHT IN KENOSHA

Opportunity Wisconsin will host an ad premiere event tonight in Kenosha at 5:30 PM. The event will feature a screening of the ad and panel discussion with Joe, the Kenosha firefighter in the ad, as well as State Representative Ben DeSmidt, and local nonprofit leaders. 

Members of the media are invited to attend and may RSVP to press@opportunitywisconsin.org for more information. 

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