Kenosha families rally at free BBQ to demand Rep. Steil lower costs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2026
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org
 

Kenosha families rally at free BBQ to demand Rep. Steil lower costs

 

Community members highlighted the $3,500 "Republican Price Tag" facing Wisconsin families thanks to votes by Steil and Republicans in Congress


KENOSHA, Wis. — This weekend, Opportunity Wisconsin hosted a free community BBQ at Anderson Park in Kenosha, bringing together local residents, advocates, and community leaders to highlight how Rep. Bryan Steil's votes in Congress are driving up costs for working families.

Attendees heard directly from community members about the real-world toll of rising costs, from grocery bills to health care, as Steil's votes on the Republican Tax Law and tariffs continue to squeeze family budgets. According to the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, the average American household is now paying an estimated $3,500 more annually for health care, food, energy, and other basic needs.

April Guenther, Food Services Director at The Shalom Center in Kenosha, spoke about the rising cost of food and the growing number of families turning to the Center for help.
"The reason why I came today is to speak to the rising food costs and how Shalom Center can be a resource to you all in the midst of what's going on in our government and our current circumstances right now," said Guenther. "Food costs are rising. People have to make decisions about whether or not they're going to have food or necessities, and at the Shalom Center, we are doing our very best to provide everybody with those basic human needs."

"Every week, families across Kenosha are having to choose between groceries and other basic needs. That's not an accident, it's the direct result of the votes Rep. Steil has taken in Washington," said Meghan Roh, Program Director of Opportunity Wisconsin. "He voted for the largest Medicaid cuts in our nation's history, he's voted to protect tariffs that are raising prices at the grocery store, and he still hasn't acted to bring back the health care tax credits that are spiking premiums for working families."

Opportunity Wisconsin will host additional “Republican Price Tag” events across the state in the coming weeks as part of a nationwide campaign to demand Congress act to lower costs.

ICYMI: Medicaid is my lifeline. New federal rule could take it away

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2026
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org
 

ICYMI: Medicaid is my lifeline. New federal rule could take it away

 

Racine County woman with chronic illnesses calls on Steil and Republicans in Congress to speak out as the Trump administration writes rule that could strip Medicaid coverage

 
RACINE, Wis. — A new op-ed from a Racine County woman living with multiple chronic illnesses highlights the importance of protecting Medicaid as the Trump administration finalizes a new rule that could strip coverage away from seriously ill Wisconsinites.
 
Emma Rose Widmar, who has relied on Medicaid for nine years to manage conditions including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, writes that losing coverage would mean losing the medication, treatment and caregivers that keep her alive.
 
Rep. Bryan Steil has remained silent on the new Medicaid rule, which would force seriously ill Wisconsinites, including those with cancer or HIV, to work or lose coverage. The public comment period on the rule closed at the end of July, and healthcare professionals, patient advocacy organizations, and Medicaid recipients have spoken out urging the administration to modify the proposal. The rule is a response to the passage of the Republican Tax Law last year, which Steil voted for, and the largest Medicaid cut in history that was included in the legislation.
 
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Opinion: Medicaid is my lifeline. New federal rule could take it away

  • I was an elite volleyball player. I was in half a dozen extracurriculars. And then, as a teenager, my body started failing me in ways doctors couldn't explain for years.
     

  • Eventually I got answers: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Hereditary Angioedema, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, neuropathy, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, and after everything my illnesses put me through, Complex PTSD. I went from a kid who did everything to a disabled adult child who relies on others just to get through the day.
     

  • I am 27. For nine years, Medicaid has been the reason I have been able to survive.
     

  • In 2020, the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Racine County estimated my medications alone cost $2 million a year. Today, even with Medicaid, my out-of-pocket costs still run about $15,000 a year. Without it, my family would be looking at bankruptcy, or worse.
     

  • I know how fragile all of this is. I know that the line between "healthy enough to work" and "too sick to survive without help" isn't always as clean as it looks on paper, and that people with cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, and other serious conditions are having to prove, over and over, that they're sick enough to deserve care. That should never be the bar. No one should have to fight this hard just to stay alive.
     

  • That's why a new federal rule moving through the Trump administration right now should worry every Wisconsinite who depends on Medicaid or who loves someone who does. Republicans are taking away Medicaid coverage from people who are already sick, and they're doing it to help pay for tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations.
     

  • Rep. Bryan Steil voted for the Republican tax law that already cut Medicaid by the largest amount in our nation's history. Now this administration is writing the fine print on how those cuts get carried out. Patients, healthcare professionals, and advocacy organizations across the country spoke out against this rule change during the public comment period, but Steil remained silent and refused to stand up for his constituents who rely on Medicaid.

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Opportunity Wisconsin and community partners launch back-to-school supply drives across the state as tariffs and health care cuts squeeze family budgets

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2026
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org


Opportunity Wisconsin and community partners launch back-to-school supply drives across the state as tariffs and health care cuts squeeze family budgets

 

Drives in La Crosse, Eau Claire, and Kenosha will collect school supplies for local families as Republican tariffs and health care cuts drive up costs 


As Wisconsin families prepare to send their kids back to school, Opportunity Wisconsin is launching back-to-school supply drives in La Crosse, Eau Claire, and Kenosha to help ease the burden of rising costs driven by Republican-backed tariffs and cuts to health care.

The drives, running throughout August in partnership with Climate Power, the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), Americans for Healthy Families, and the Hmong PTA in Eau Claire, will collect pencils, black pens, highlighters, printer paper, binders, notebooks, tissues, hand sanitizer, and backpacks for students in each community.

Donations may be made at the following locations throughout August:

  • La Crosse: August 13 – August 30. Drop off at Larson's General, 509B Main St, La Crosse, WI 54601, or Pearl Street Books, 323 Pearl St, La Crosse, WI 54601 (week of 8/24 only).
     

  • Eau Claire:  August 1 – August 20. Drop off at Acoustic Cafe, 505 S Barstow St, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
     

  • Kenosha and Mt. Pleasant: August 1 – August 28. Drop off at Union Park Tavern, 4520 8th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53140, or La Taquiza Guadalajara, 2343 Mead St, Mt. Pleasant, WI 53403.

Wisconsin families are facing a squeeze on multiple fronts this back-to-school season. Republican tariffs have driven up the price of everyday goods, including the very supplies kids need for the classroom, while the Republican Tax Law's health care cuts are expected to strip coverage from Wisconsinites and drive up costs. Republican cuts to SNAP are also squeezing families this back-to-school season as millions of children are expected to lose access to free school meals.

These policies are leaving families with even less room in their budgets to cover necessities as the average American household has had to pay $3,500 in extra costs this year because of policies passed by Republicans in Congress. Recent analysis found that pricing increases have driven up the cost of back-to-school shopping by 11 percent this year. 

"No parent should have to choose between buying their kid a backpack and paying their health insurance premium, but that's the reality Republicans in Congress have created for families across Wisconsin," said Meghan Roh, Program Director of Opportunity Wisconsin. "Tariffs are making everyday items like pencils and binders more expensive, and at the very same time, Republicans are ripping away health care from tens of thousands of Wisconsinites to pay for tax breaks for the ultrarich. We’re grateful to our partners and community members who are stepping up to make sure kids are ready for back-to-school this year.”
 

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Fact Check: Van Orden takes credit for Medicaid funding while ignoring the historic cuts he voted for

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2026
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org
 

Fact Check: Van Orden takes credit for Medicaid funding while ignoring the historic cuts he voted for

After voting for the largest Medicaid cuts in history, Van Orden is touting additional funding that’s a drop in the bucket, while staying silent on a new rule that will make seriously ill Wisconsinites work or lose benefits


LA CROSSE, Wis. — Just days before the anniversary of Medicaid being signed into law, Rep. Derrick Van Orden is touting an increase in the program’s funding for Wisconsin, claiming he spent "over a year" working with the Trump administration to secure it. 

What he's not telling WI-03 families: This is a drop in the bucket compared to the largest Medicaid cut in U.S. history that he voted for, and he has remained silent on a new rule that will force seriously ill Wisconsinites to work or lose their Medicaid coverage.

"Derrick Van Orden wants credit for funding Medicaid, but ignores the hundreds of billions that have been cut and the tens of thousands of Wisconsinites who will lose coverage because of his votes," said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. "Wisconsin families who are facing skyrocketing costs for healthcare coverage see through it. They know this is too little, too late — and it's no substitute for actually fighting to protect Medicaid for the people he represents."

The Republican Tax Law that Van Orden voted for last year made the largest cut to Medicaid in U.S. history, slashing more than $900 billion from the program nationwide and putting rural hospitals at risk of closure. In Wisconsin alone, the law's Medicaid cuts are projected to cost the state $7 billion over the next decade, and an estimated 76,000 Wisconsinites are expected to lose health coverage overall as a result.

Van Orden has also been silent on a new Trump administration rule which will force patients with cancer, HIV, and other serious illnesses to show up to work or lose their Medicaid benefits. The public comment period on that rule closes this Friday, July 31, and coverage losses are set to begin January 1, 2027 if the rule is not changed. Van Orden has had an opportunity to speak out against it and has remained silent.

Making Van Orden’s claims even more disingenuous, the additional funding he is touting is actually due to changes made by the Wisconsin State Legislature and Governor Evers last year. At the time, Van Orden was also exposed for claiming credit and ignoring his votes to cut Medicaid.
 

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As Congress leaves for recess, Van Orden and Steil owe Wisconsinites answers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2026
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org 
 

As Congress leaves for recess, Van Orden and Steil owe Wisconsinites answers

Opportunity Wisconsin outlines questions constituents deserve answered before their members of Congress return to Washington


MADISON, Wis. — As Congress heads home for recess, Opportunity Wisconsin is calling on Congressmen Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil to use the time in their districts to actually listen to constituents and to answer for the votes that have made life more expensive for Wisconsin families.

Both congressmen have spent the past year voting for tariffs, backing a war in Iran with no end in sight, and protecting the Republican Tax Law’s cuts to Medicaid and SNAP to help pay for tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. Now, as they return home, Wisconsinites deserve real answers and accountability.

Opportunity Wisconsin is calling on Van Orden and Steil to answer the following questions from their constituents during recess:

  1. The average American household has had to pay an additional $3,500 because of policies Republicans Congress has passed. How do you expect working families to afford this added burden?
     

  2. Will you fight to stop the Trump administration's new Medicaid proposed rule, which could take away health coverage from Wisconsinites with cancer and other serious illnesses?
     

  3. How will you support Wisconsin farmers who are being squeezed from every direction — as tariffs raise the cost of equipment and supplies, the war in Iran drives up diesel and fertilizer prices, and federal cuts add even more strain to family budgets?
     

  4. The war in Iran has already cost taxpayers more than $37.5 billion, and this week you voted for a $95 billion package that includes tens of billions more to continue funding it. Why are you prioritizing an expensive foreign war over lowering costs for Wisconsin families?
     

  5. Why have you prioritized massive new tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations, while cutting Medicaid, making it harder for Wisconsin families to afford groceries, and making it tougher for small businesses to succeed?

"Congressmen Van Orden and Steil have spent the last year voting again and again to raise costs on Wisconsin families while handing out tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations," said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. "Recess isn't a break from accountability, it's an opportunity for them to explain these votes to the people back home who are paying the price. Wisconsinites deserve real answers, not more excuses."


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Van Orden and Steil vote to keep costly Iran war going, again

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2026
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org 
 

Van Orden and Steil vote to keep costly Iran war going, again

Van Orden and Steil reject bipartisan resolution to limit a war that is costing billions and driving up prices for Wisconsinites


MADISON, Wis. — The U.S. House voted today to direct President Trump to end the war in Iran, passing 214-208 in a bipartisan vote. Congressmen Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil voted against the resolution, supporting a continued war that keeps raising costs for Wisconsin families.

"Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil have had multiple opportunities to reign in a war that is costing taxpayers billions and sending prices soaring. Every time they have refused," said Meghan Roh, Program Director of Opportunity Wisconsin. "This war is hurting our economy and making it tougher for families, small businesses, and farmers to succeed.” 

Today’s vote comes as the price tag for the war keeps climbing. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress this week that the war has cost $37.5 billion so far, and Republicans are now preparing a $95 billion supplemental package to keep funding it. Wisconsin families are paying the price for the ongoing war. The national average for gas has climbed back to $4 a gallon, and diesel has topped $5 a gallon as instability in the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt global oil supply.

Van Orden and Steil have spent the past year backing the largest Medicaid cuts in history, letting health care tax credits expire, and voting for tariffs that are raising costs for Wisconsin households — all while continuing to support a war that's driving up the price of gas, diesel, and fertilizer.

This is the fifth time Van Orden and Steil have opposed limiting the United States’ involvement in Iran. They also voted against similar resolutions in March, April, May and June.

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ICYMI: GOP's Big Beautiful Bill is failing Wisconsin families

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, JULY 13, 2026
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org 
 

ICYMI: GOP's Big Beautiful Bill is failing Wisconsin families


In a new Cap Times op-ed, Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh lays out one year of costs to Wisconsin families under the Republican tax law


MADISON, Wis. — One year after congressional Republicans passed their tax law, Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh highlights how Wisconsin families are still paying the price in a new op-ed for the Cap Times. The op-ed details the law's toll on healthcare access, food assistance, and household budgets across the state, and calls out Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Rep. Bryan Steil for continuing to defend their votes. 

GOP's Big Beautiful Bill is failing Wisconsin families
The Cap Times, 7/11/26

  • One year ago, congressional Republicans passed a law they called their greatest achievement. Wisconsin families have been paying for it ever since.
     

  • The Republican tax law was sold as relief for working people. The reality? The biggest cuts to healthcare and food assistance in American history — all funded on the backs of Wisconsin families, while billionaires and big corporations walked away with a trillion-dollar windfall.
     

  • Let’s start with healthcare. The law made the largest cut to Medicaid in U.S. history, slashing more than $900 billion from the program nationwide. In Wisconsin, 54,000 people are at risk of losing their Medicaid coverage. 
     

  • And because Republicans also let healthcare tax credits expire, another 56,000 Wisconsinites face skyrocketing costs on the marketplace, or the prospect of going uninsured altogether. All told, 110,000 Wisconsinites stand to lose their coverage.
     

  • In Rep. Derrick Van Orden's district, these cuts mean a 60-year-old couple could see their monthly premium jump by nearly $2,000. In Rep. Bryan Steil's district, that same couple is looking at nearly $1,400 more per month.
     

  • The Republican tax law also guts the food assistance that Wisconsin families rely on to put food on the table. Roughly 49,000 Wisconsinites are at immediate risk of losing some of their SNAP benefits. 
     

  • All of this so Republicans in Congress could hand the wealthiest Americans a $1 trillion tax cut over the next decade.
     

  • One year in, it’s laughable that Republicans in Congress believe this law has been a success. They can’t hide from the reality that 110,000 Wisconsinites are at risk of losing healthcare. Tens of thousands more are losing food assistance. Grocery prices are up. Gas prices are up. Rural hospitals are closing. And Van Orden and Steil are still defending every one of those votes.

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One year of the Republican Tax Law: Less healthcare access, more hungry families, less support for working families

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2026
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org 
 

 

One year of the Republican Tax Law: Less healthcare access, more hungry families, less support for working families

As the one-year anniversary approaches, Republicans in Congress still refuse to reverse harmful cuts that are making it tougher for Wisconsin families to succeed


MADISON, Wis. — One year after congressional Republicans passed the Republican Tax Law, the damage to Wisconsin families is clear: less access to healthcare, more families going hungry, and costs are higher, all while the ultra-rich and big corporations are benefiting from new tax breaks. Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Rep. Bryan Steil both voted for the Republican Tax Law and have refused to undo the damage it’s causing.

Here’s a look at what the Republican Tax Law has meant for Wisconsin families:


"One year in, this law has done exactly what we said it would: stripped health care from Wisconsin families, cut food assistance, and forced working people to pay more while billionaires and corporations cashed in thanks to new tax breaks," said Meghan Roh, Program Director of Opportunity Wisconsin. "Rep. Van Orden and Rep. Steil made a choice when they voted for this law. Wisconsin families are living with the consequences every single day. A year later it’s clearer than ever that Congress needs to reverse these cuts and start fighting for working families instead."

While cuts to healthcare and food assistance drive costs up, families are being hit again by Republican policies that are making things even worse. Tariffs have raised the price of groceries, furniture, and everyday goods. A war in Iran that Republicans supported was costing a billion dollars a day and could keep gas and diesel prices elevated well into 2027. For Wisconsin families already absorbing cuts to their health care and food assistance, the compounding costs are devastating.
 

"One year later our worst fears about the Republican Tax Law have come true,” said Stephanie from Vernon County. “We’re watching costs continue to climb, while programs like Medicaid and SNAP are torn down. These cuts have real consequences for our family and neighbors here in Wisconsin, but Congressman Van Orden/Steil has refused to do anything to fix it. It’s time for Congress to reverse these cuts, we can’t afford another year of this."

"While working families are being forced to make tough choices about their budgets and struggling to afford basic necessities, billionaires and big corporations are doing better than ever thanks to the Republican Tax Law,” said Tasha from La Crosse. “Republicans in Congress made the choice to put those at the top first, and the rest of us are left paying the price. Too many Wisconsinites are forced to go hungry or forced to go without the healthcare they need to survive. That’s wrong and we need Congress to reverse the damage they’ve done before it’s too late."

 


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