KENOSHA, Wis. – Opportunity Wisconsin today released a new ad as part of its ongoing seven-figure paid media campaign holding Congressman Bryan Steil accountable for his votes that are raising costs and cutting critical services for Wisconsin families.
The ad features Joe, a Kenosha firefighter whose wife is a nurse. Their son was diagnosed with a rare condition requiring ongoing testing and treatment that insurance won’t cover. The only way they could afford health care for their son was through Medicaid. Now, Steil’s vote for the Republican Tax Law, which included the largest cut to Medicaid in history, will rip care away from 54,000 Wisconsinites.
“Congressman Bryan Steil voted to slash Medicaid so he could give more tax breaks to billionaires,” said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. “Joe is a firefighter and his wife is a nurse – they work hard and serve their community every day. But Steil’s priorities are clear: he chose tax cuts for the wealthy over health care for families like Joe’s. That’s unconscionable.”
The Republican Tax Law’s cuts to Medicaid spending will result in nearly 8.7 million fewer people covered by the program. The cuts are larger than all previous Medicaid cuts in history combined and will force states to make painful cuts to their Medicaid programs, particularly affecting children, veterans, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities. These cuts are also placing rural hospitals across Wisconsin at risk of closure, which would make care even more difficult to access.
The ongoing seven-figure campaign in the First Congressional District includes TV, digital, and mail to constituents, encouraging them to contact Congressman Steil and demand he stop raising costs for working families. The first ad in the series highlighted Steil’s votes in favor of costly tariffs that are driving up the cost of groceries and other everyday essentials.
“My Son” Transcript:
JOE: “I’m a firefighter and my wife is a nurse. Our son was diagnosed with a rare condition, so now we have to test for all these things over and over again. Insurance isn’t gonna cover that. The only way we were able to afford health care was with Medicaid. Our Congressman Bryan Steil voted for the largest Medicaid cut in history to pay for another billionaire tax break. It makes me angry. We don’t know how we’d afford it. I write to him. I call him. We need to tell Congressman Bryan Steil to stop raising our costs.”
