WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced that Kim Fredrick, a Mindoro constituent whose family relies on Medicaid, will be her guest at the State of the Union on Tuesday. Kim’s son, Matt, has Down Syndrome and has been on Medicaid since he was a few months old. In July 2025, President Donald Trump and Republicans passed into law their One Big Beautiful Bill, which gutted $1 trillion from the Medicaid program, introducing new red tape designed to kick people off their care and threatening care for people like the Fredricks.
“Last year, I heard from thousands of Wisconsinites who were terrified about what Republicans’ and Donald Trump’s bill would mean for their families and the Medicaid coverage they rely on. I fought like hell to stop President Trump’s agenda that will terminate Wisconsinites’ health care to pay for tax giveaways that will mainly benefit the super wealthy and big corporations,” said Senator Baldwin. “While we may have lost that battle, I’m not letting up on keeping Republicans’ feet to the fire and holding them accountable for gutting Medicaid and jeopardizing Wisconsinites’ health. Kim is one of the thousands of Wisconsinites whose family relies on Medicaid to afford the care they need. I’m proud to elevate her and her son Matt’s story on behalf of the 1.2 million Wisconsinites who know the Medicaid program is a lifeline and know the stakes if this essential coverage is cut off.”
Senator Baldwin first met with Kim in La Crosse last year as part of her “Hands Off Medicaid” tour, which made 10 stops around Wisconsin to talk about how Republicans’ budget bill would jeopardize care that families rely on. Kim shared the story of her son, Matt, who relies on services through Medicaid programs. Without the extra support programs provided through Medicaid, Kim said her son’s world “gets much smaller.”
“Medicaid is a lifeline for our family and without it, we would lose access to programs that help Matt have meaningful interactions in the community, allow him to participate in school, and help him learn job skills. Matt will need help throughout his lifetime and knowing that there are programs in place to keep him safe give me and my husband peace of mind for the future. With the impending cuts to Medicaid programs, there is no guarantee these essential services will remain in place. I know there are many other families just like mine in Wisconsin who are at risk of losing these valuable services covered by Medicaid. I am happy to come to Washington to highlight the harm that the President’s budget bill will cause for our family and advocate for it to be reversed,” said Kim Fredrick.
Last year, Republicans and Donald Trump passed their One Big Beautiful Bill, which took $1 trillion out of the Medicaid and ACA Marketplace programs to help pay for tax breaks for big corporations and billionaires. CBO estimates that 10 million people will become uninsured due to Medicaid and ACA marketplace cuts in the law, including 7.5 million people who will lose Medicaid in 2034. In Wisconsin, over 1.2 million are enrolled in Medicaid. About 1 in 3 children in both Wisconsin’s rural and metro communities have Medicaid coverage. More than 300,000 kids under age 19 are members of BadgerCare Plus or another Wisconsin Medicaid program.
An online version of this release is available here.
