Hi folks! Welcome back to Tammy Tuesdays, our weekly update email on Tammy’s work and the big fights she’s taking on for Wisconsin families.
Tammy knows that there’s more that unites us than divides us. She understands that Wisconsin’s working families all want good-paying jobs, affordable healthcare, and the same freedoms their parents and grandparents had.
Read below for highlights of what Tammy worked on this week:
Winning Big for Wisconsin Infrastructure & Creating Wisconsin Jobs
Last week, Tammy welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, to highlight Wisconsin’s big wins from the Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In addition to an over $1 billion investment for broadband in Wisconsin, Tammy is proud that Sanmina Corporation in Pleasant Prairie struck a deal with telecom company Nokia to create nearly 200 new jobs. This means that when broadband is being built across the country from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, it’s going to be built with Wisconsin worker made fiber optic products. By investing in Wisconsin’s infrastructure, Tammy is winning big for our Made in Wisconsin economy and is making sure that every home and business across the state has access to high-speed internet.
Standing Up for Wisconsin Workers
Way before many in Washington started talking about Made in America and stopping overseas job outsourcing, Tammy was working hard to protect American jobs and keep factories open here in Wisconsin.
From bringing jobs to Wisconsin to including her Made in America provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Tammy goes to bat for our workers and wins big. Last week, Tammy visited Fox Valley Metal Tech in Green Bay, a custom metal fabrication company that specializes in military-grade metal fabrication. Tammy highlighted her recent win to successfully include her Buy America provisions in the Senate’s version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. These provisions will support Wisconsin companies like Fox Valley Metal Tech and keep our Made in Wisconsin economy going strong all while strengthening our country’s national security.
Combating the Opioid Crisis
Across our state, the opioid, fentanyl, and heroin epidemic has claimed far too many lives, affected countless families, and devastated entire communities. The effects of this epidemic hit close to home for Tammy because her mother struggled with addiction to prescription drugs. Tammy believes that the opioid, fentanyl, and heroin epidemic isn’t a partisan issue – it’s life or death – and she’s committed to making sure that no Wisconsin family has to face this epidemic alone.
Last week, Tammy met with local leaders in Appleton to discuss the effects of the opioid, fentanyl, and heroin epidemic in the community. In a roundtable discussion, Tammy talked about preventative and post-preventive measures that our communities can take to alleviate the effects of the crisis. One strategy that the coffee shop where the discussion took place has implemented is installing an overdose aid kit that contains the overdose reversal drug Narcan. This strategy was a result of Tammy’s hard work to pass bipartisan legislation that increases access to overdose reversing drugs like Narcan. Post-preventive measures like this are critical for saving lives in Wisconsin and across the country, and Tammy is going to keep working hard to make sure our communities have the resources they need to combat this epidemic.
Supporting Our Farmers
Tammy believes that American farmers produce the best products in the world, and in order to keep them going strong we need to make sure they have all the tools and resources they need. From having to be competitive at the global level to keeping up with a rapidly growing population size, Tammy is working hard to make sure that our farmers are a step ahead of the competition.
Right now, Tammy is working to pass the Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act, which would lower seed prices and invest in public research geared toward increasing food and livestock diversity. This innovative legislation increases farmers’ access to acquiring domestically produced and regionally adapted seeds and breeds. This helps our farmers maintain a competitive edge on a domestic and international scale by increasing hardiness and yields of their products. It also means that our country will have a stronger food and agricultural system that will last for generations to come. Tammy knows that our farmers are the backbone of our country, and will always work hard to do right by them.
Taking Down Unfair Trade Barriers
Everyone knows that American farmers work hard to create products that are second to none. Right here in Wisconsin, we’re putting out the highest-quality dairy products in the world. But for too long Washington hasn’t had our farmers’ backs and has been letting global competitors use unfair trade practices with the potential to restrict American-made products from being sold in international markets.
Tammy is working hard to end this decades old practice through the bipartisan SAVE Act in the 2023 Farm Bill. The SAVE Act will amend the Agriculture Trade Act of 1978 and give American farmers an equal opportunity to broaden foreign market access for their products. Tammy is committed to taking down unfair trade barriers, so American farmers can earn the profits they deserve for their high-quality products.
