MADISON, WI – Yesterday, reporting from the Wisconsin Independent details Democratic legislators’ tour of Jensen Family Farms. The visit continued the Senate Democrats’ Affordability tour, intended to hear from constituents about how the economy is impacting their bottom lines. Mr. Jensen makes it clear that rising costs and political games being played with healthcare will make it more difficult for him to preserve the small business that he and his father built.
Read more on how rising costs are affecting family farms and small businesses:
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- “Jensen has also noticed that fewer people are adding on garlands and wreaths to their purchases. He said he believes his customers are balancing their pocketbooks more than before.”
- “‘We get a lot of people coming in who are having to make choices,’ he said. ‘The economy is a thing. I mean, people are concerned with it. For us, just our family, we definitely see it. We definitely see a difference.’”
- “‘It’s definitely harder now more so than it used to be,’ Jensen said. ‘Everything is so much more expensive and, for example, if I did not work at a place that provided health insurance and/or other benefits, I don’t think that we could sustain this business.’”
- “President Donald Trump recently told a crowd in Pennsylvania that affordability was a “hoax” from Democrats, NPR reported. But Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows grocery costs are up 2.7% and electricity costs are up about 5% for the year ending in September.”
- “Hesselbein said a cranberry farmer shared that Trump’s tariffs have brought up costs for aluminum. ‘One thing we have to keep doing is letting people know that we’re on their side,’ she said. ‘We care about pocketbook issues, and we’re trying to figure out what we can do right now with the Trump administration that is just gutting and cutting everything we hold near and dear to our hearts.’”
- “After the visit, Jensen said it was “incredibly valuable” to have state lawmakers show enough concern to show up on a cold day. He doesn’t believe politicians in Washington understand how hard it has been for small businesses to keep up with rising costs.”
