MADISON, WI – After three days of silence, lobbyist Brittany Kinser finally responded to Donald Trump’s plan to shut down the U.S. Department of Education and rip $1 billion out of Wisconsin’s public schools. And her response? “It’s fine.”
Not one negative word about Trump…Not one word of concern for Wisconsin kids…Instead, Kinser shrugs off the devastating impact of these cuts and expects parents, teachers, and students to just trust that everything will work out.
Either Brittany Kinser is dangerously naïve, or she knows exactly what she’s doing—because the very people who are cheering on these cuts are the same right-wing special interests funding her campaign.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t some theoretical policy debate. The Trump administration has already cut federal funding for teachers in Wisconsin—Governor Evers is literally suing them over it. Brittany Kinser hasn’t breathed a word of criticism of that, either.
Just last month, the Trump administration terminated $600 million in federal teacher training and retention grants nationwide—including programs meant to address teacher shortages in rural districts, special education, and high-need subjects like math. That’s on top of Trump’s latest push to gut another $1 billion from Wisconsin’s public schools.
The Trump administration and DOGE are slashing federal funding across the country—cancelling contracts, eliminating entire programs, and cutting billions from services that families rely on. But somehow, lobbyist Kinser expects us to believe that Wisconsin’s education funding will be the one thing spared?
This is either unacceptably naive or a blatant lie. Wisconsin families deserve better than a politician who willfully ignores reality just to protect her political funders.
Jill Underly, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, responded:
“Lobbyist Brittany Kinser has told us everything we need to know. She refuses to say a single bad word about Donald Trump and Elon Musk or the massive cuts they are forcing onto Wisconsin schools. Instead, she attacks me for standing up for students and teachers. That’s exactly what we’d expect from someone who has spent years lobbying against public schools.”
“Federal funding helps keep class sizes small, ensures students with disabilities get the support they need, provides school meals for kids who might otherwise go hungry, and helps train and retain our teachers. But lobbyist Brittany Kinser—who has never worked in a Wisconsin public school—seems to think we can just ‘navigate’ our way through losing $1 billion. Wisconsin families know better.”
The same people celebrating these cuts are the ones bankrolling Kinser’s campaign. That’s why she refuses to criticize Trump’s plan, why she won’t fight for public school students, and why she’d rather attack Jill Underly than stand up for Wisconsin families.
Lobbyist Brittany Kinser Must Answer:
- If she won’t fight for Wisconsin’s kids now, when their education funding is on the line, when will she?
- Why does she refuse to criticize Donald Trump, who is already gutting education funding in Wisconsin?
- Is she too afraid to stand up to these cuts because she is afraid of alienating her donors, the same people who are cheering on these cuts?
This isn’t just politics—this is about the future of Wisconsin’s children. Jill Underly is fighting to protect public education. Brittany Kinser is selling it out to the highest bidder.
