MADISON, Wis. — Yesterday, before JD Vance’s big-dollar Milwaukee fundraiser, WisDems 2nd Vice Chair and CD 4 Chair Joshua Taylor joined State Senator Dora Drake, Representative Kalan Haywood, and Karen Voie – a Wisconsinite impacted by skyrocketing costs – to speak out against Donald Trump’s and JD Vance’s cost-raising MAGA agenda on veterans and their families, as well as working Wisconsinites.
JD Vance, Tom Tiffany, Derrick Van Orden, and Bryan Steil tried to use isolated cases of fraud as an excuse to punish hundreds of thousands of honest Wisconsinites who rely on Medicaid for healthcare. State Rep. Kalan Hayward described Wisconsin Democratic leaders’ actions to these isolated incidents, “Democrats did what responsible leaders do…Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul investigated, the bad actors were prosecuted, and the system worked.”
Read more news coverage below of Wisconsin Democrats speaking out against the Republican cost crisis in response to JD Vance’s and Dr. Oz’s unwelcome Wisconsin visit:
WPR: Vice President JD Vance in Milwaukee Visit says Trump Administration is Fighting ‘Fraudsters’
“Speaking to reporters before the event, Milwaukee Democrats said Vance’s event was an election-year distraction from broader issues of affordability.
State Rep. Kalan Haywood, D-Milwaukee, said when “isolated cases of Medicaid fraud” occurred in the state, “Democrats did what responsible leaders do. … Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul investigated, the bad actors were prosecuted, and the system worked.”
Kalan said the administration’s “crackdown” was “taking the actions of a few bad actors, and using them as an excuse to punish hundreds of thousands of honest Wisconsinites who rely on Medicaid for health care.”
WEAU: Vice President JD Vance Promises Nationwide Crackdown on Fraud During Milwaukee Visit
“Families across Milwaukee and across Wisconsin don’t need more propaganda,” said Democratic State Rep. Kalan Haywood.
They need someone to explain why life has become more expensive, why healthcare costs keep rising, why filling up the tank costs more, why groceries stretch less than they did months ago, and why veterans are waiting longer for the care they have earned.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What We Know About Vice President Jd Vance’s Visit To Milwaukee
Sen. Dora Drake, D-Milwaukee, called the “One Big Beautiful Bill” budget law enacted last year “one of the most devastating, cost-raising” actions taken by the Trump administration with Congress’s approval.
“The reality is simple: Donald Trump and JD Vance have championed an agenda that has raised costs for working families, and Congressman Tom Tiffany and Congressman Bryan Steil have rubber-stamped it every step of the way,” Haywood said.
Spectrum News: Vice President JD Vance Speaks on Efforts to Root Out Fraud in Wisconsin
State Democrats agree that programs like SNAP are crucial, but say the biggest issue with the program is the lack of support from the Trump administration.
“In Milwaukee County alone, over 234,000 people depend on SNAP benefits,” said State Sen. Dora Drake, D-Milwaukee. “Over 15,000 fewer Wisconsinites are receiving SNAP benefits compared to last July.”
State Rep. Kalan Haywood, D-Milwaukee, is calling on leaders in Washington, D.C., to address the cost-of-living crisis he says is affecting Wisconsinites across the state.
“They need someone to explain why life has become more expensive, why healthcare costs keep rising, why filling up the gas tank costs more,” Haywood said.
Fox 5: JD Vance Milwaukee Visit: VP Touts Fraud Work, Dems Critical
Wisconsin Democrats held an online forum ahead of Vance’s visit. State Rep. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee) highlights cuts from the federal government.
“While Wisconsin Republicans like congressmen Tom Tiffany and Bryan Steil celebrate JD Vance’s arrival today in advance of his big fundraiser, everyday Wisconsinites have been focused on how much more expensive everyday living is today than it was just two years ago,” she said. “These price hikes are largely thanks to Trump and Vance’s MAGA agenda.”
“Cuts to Medicaid, cuts that threaten rural hospitals, those cuts that have strained services for veterans, policies that drive costs for working families, again and again, Tom Tiffany and Bryan Steil have voted ‘yes,'” said State Rep. Kalan Haywood. “They don’t ask whether these policies are good for Wisconsin, they ask whether they’re good for Donald Trump. And that’s exactly why JD Vance is coming to Milwaukee – coming to Wisconsin – today.”
“All acts are for Wisconsin, but their acts are good for Donald Trump, and that’s exactly why J-D Vance is coming to Milwaukee, coming to Wisconsin today, not because those policies have succeeded, but because Tom Tiffany and Bryan Steil have been willing to support them without question.”
Wis Politics: Vance calls Evers Refusal to Turn Over SNAP Enrollment ‘Borderline Criminal’
Ahead of Vance’s visit, Wisconsin Dems criticized the Trump administration and GOP lawmakers like Tiffany and U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, for cutting funding for Medicaid and SNAP via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“JD Vance may be coming to Milwaukee today, but he’s not coming to bring solutions, he’s bringing rhetoric, he’s coming to celebrate and congratulate two members of Congress who have been their rubber stamps and their partners while they do this detrimental work,” said state Rep. Kalan Haywood, D-Milwaukee.”
