Click here for top clips of Senator Baldwin in the media in 2024

Bill to Connect Veterans with Earned Benefits Signed into Law

Senator Baldwin’s bipartisan Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act was signed into law this year. The legislation passed the House and Senate as part of a larger legislative package to support veterans. The CVSO Act expands support for County Veterans Service Officers, the community-based employees who work directly with veterans to inform them of eligibility for VA programs and services, file pension and compensation claims, and help them enroll in job, housing, disability, and education benefits. By increasing the number of CVSOs, states will be better able to leverage their local and federal resources to serve our veterans.

In Wisconsin, several CVSOs helped sound the alarm about a doctor at the Tomah VA who was misdiagnosing veterans who were suffering from traumatic brain injury. In part because CVSOs identified a troubling pattern, Senator Baldwin and impacted patients successfully got the VA to identify, reexamine, and in appropriate cases, deliver those misdiagnosed their earned benefits.

Wisconsin wins Designation as a Biohealth Tech Hub

In 2024, Senator Baldwin announced that Wisconsin had officially been selected as a Tech Hub under the Baldwin-backed CHIPS and Science Act. Baldwin worked with Wisconsin’s consortium of public and private partners to bring home $49 million for the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub to grow the state’s personalized medicine and biohealth sector—advancing research and innovation, growing our economy and creating jobs, and boosting American competitiveness in a cutting-edge industry. This funding will boost research, expand lab space, increase coordination and collaboration, invest in workforce development, improve access to capital for starting and growing businesses, and further build out the personalized medicine and technology sector in Wisconsin.

Delivering Strong Buy America Standards for Highway Construction

Senator Baldwin successfully pushed the Department of Transportation to fully implement stronger Buy America standards for federally funded highway projects to support domestic manufacturing and create good-paying jobs. For years, Senator Baldwin called for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to end the 40-year policy that has allowed the federal government to skirt Buy America rules when constructing highways. FHWA announced a final rule to end the longstanding waiver that allowed federal-aid highway projects to sidestep Buy America rules and put in place stronger requirements that support American manufacturing.

Bringing Down the Cost of Asthma Inhalers

In January, Senator Baldwin and three of her colleagues on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions launched an investigation into the extremely high prices four large pharmaceutical companies charge for inhalers that 25 million Americans with asthma and 16 million Americans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rely on to breathe. The Senators sent letters to the CEOs of the four biggest manufacturers of inhalers sold in the United States – AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Teva – which charge between $200 and $600 for each inhaler, typically purchased monthly. In Wisconsin, more than 500,000 people have asthma and nearly 6 percent of the population is estimated to suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

As a result, three manufacturers (AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, and GSK) committed to capping the costs of their inhalers at $35/month. The AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim caps went into effect on June 1, 2024, and GSK’s cap went into effect on January 1, 2025.

Putting Limits on Junk Insurance Plans

After years of advocacy from Senator Baldwin, the Biden Administration finalized a rule to roll back the harmful 2018 Trump Administration short-term limited duration insurance rule that made junk plans more widely available to consumers.

Senator Baldwin has led the charge to limit junk insurance plans that can deny people with pre- existing conditions coverage. Since President Trump first allowed for junk plans to be expanded in 2018, Senator Baldwin has pushed to limit the use of these junk plans and urged President Biden to act since he took office. In July, the Biden Administration finally began to roll back a 2018 Trump Administration effort designed to sabotage the Affordable Care Act that made junk plans more widely available to consumers. Since then, these plans have continued to expand.

However, they are not required to adhere to important standards, including prohibitions on discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions, coverage for the 10 essential health benefit categories, and annual out-of-pocket maximums. The Biden Administration’s rule restored a 90-day limit on the use these insurance plans, instead of four years maximum, so junk plans can only be used on a temporary basis as intended.

Bill Ensuring Taxpayer-Funded Inventions are Made in America Passes Senate 
Senator Baldwin’s Invent Here, Make Here Act passed the Senate in December of 2024. Senator Baldwin and Senator Vance introduced the Invent Here, Make Here Act in the 118th Congress to ensure that taxpayer-funded inventions are manufactured in the United States. The bill would strengthen waiver requirements for all agencies commercializing federal research. The bill would prohibit waivers for inventions manufactured in countries of concern, such as China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran, unless explicitly authorized by the President. Additionally, it would encourage federal agencies and the National Science Foundation to prioritize manufacturing taxpayer-funded products in the U.S. The law also includes a waiver process for agencies, which has allowed taxpayer-funded technologies, like these batteries, to be licensed to foreign companies and manufactured abroad.

Made in America

Bill Ensuring Taxpayer-Funded Inventions are Made in America Passes Senate Senator Baldwin’s Invent Here, Make Here Act passed the Senate in December of 2024. Senator Baldwin and Senator Vance introduced the Invent Here, Make Here Act in the 118th Congress to ensure that taxpayer-funded inventions are manufactured in the United States. The bill would strengthen waiver requirements for all agencies commercializing federal research. The bill would prohibit waivers for inventions manufactured in countries of concern, such as China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran, unless explicitly authorized by the President. Additionally, it would encourage federal agencies and the National Science Foundation to prioritize manufacturing taxpayer-funded products in the U.S. The law also includes a waiver process for agencies, which has allowed taxpayer-funded technologies, like these batteries, to be licensed to foreign companies and manufactured abroad.

Delivering Strong Buy America Standards for Highway Construction

Senator Baldwin successfully pushed the Department of Transportation to fully implement stronger Buy America standards for federally funded highway projects to support domestic manufacturing and create good-paying jobs. For years, Senator Baldwin called for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to end the 40-year policy that has allowed the federal government to skirt Buy America rules when constructing highways. FHWA announced a final rule to end the longstanding waiver that allowed federal-aid highway projects to sidestep Buy America rules and put in place stronger requirements that support American manufacturing.

Safeguarding our Rail System against China’s State-owned Companies

Senator Baldwin and Senator Cornyn worked to get their Stopping America’s Foreign Enemies Through Rail and Infrastructure National Security Act (SAFE TRAINS Act) signed into law as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The SAFE TRAINS Act prohibits railroad freight cars from operating on the U.S. freight railroad interchange system if the cars are manufactured in or use sensitive technologies from a country of concern or an affiliated state- owned enterprise. Countries of concern include nonmarket economies, those that inadequately protect intellectual property rights, and violators of certain foreign trade practices and agreements.

Baldwin then pushed the Federal Railroad Administration to implement the law. In December of 2024, FRA published a final rule that places restrictions on newly built freight cars placed into service in the U.S. including limiting content that originates from a country of concern or is sourced from a state-owned enterprise.

Investigating China’s Cheating in the Shipbuilding Industry

In 2024, Senator Baldwin worked with the United Steelworkers and other labor groups to call for an investigation into how China has used unfair trade practices to undercut American shipbuilding, hurting American workers, businesses, and national security. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) conducted the investigation and released a report that found that China targeted the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors for dominance, concluding that the PRC’s targeted dominance in these sectors is unreasonable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce, and is therefore “actionable” under Section 301. The findings of this investigation will pave the way for the incoming administration to implement remedies and level the playing field.

Over the last 20 years, the United States has lost industrial shipbuilding capacity while China’s subsidized shipbuilding has only grown. State-owned enterprises and other facilities in China are now capable of producing over 1,000 ocean-going vessels a year, while the United States currently produces fewer than ten. While shipbuilding capacity, suppliers, and shipyards remain vital to the U.S. economy and national security, China’s uncompetitive trade practices have led to 25,000 domestic shipbuilding suppliers leaving the U.S. market over the past 20 years.

Closing the Loophole that Allowed U.S. Tax Dollars to Build Buses for U.S. Airports

Senator Baldwin secured an amendment to legislation that reauthorized the Federal Aviation Administration, which was signed into law this year. The amendment closes a loophole that has allowed Chinese state-owned and controlled companies to access America’s taxpayer dollars to build buses, trams, monorails and more for U.S. airports.

Advancing U.S. Manufacturing Policy and Competitiveness

This year, the Senate passed the Baldwin-backed National Manufacturing Advisory Council for the 21st Century Act, a bill that establishes a National Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce to support the U.S. manufacturing sector.

The National Manufacturing Advisory Council – composed of manufacturers, labor representatives, and academic experts – will serve as a bridge between the manufacturing sector and federal government, improving communication on their needs. The Advisory Council will provide advise Congress annually on how to ensure the U.S. remains the top destination globally for investment in manufacturing by providing lawmakers with a national strategic plan – including recommendations to address workforce issues, supply chain disruptions, other logistical and emerging challenges.

Health Care

Bringing Down the Cost of Asthma Inhalers

In January, Senator Baldwin and three of her colleagues on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions launched an investigation into the extremely high prices four large pharmaceutical companies charge for inhalers that 25 million Americans with asthma and 16 million Americans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rely on to breathe. The Senators sent letters to the CEOs of the four biggest manufacturers of inhalers sold in the United States – AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Teva – which charge between $200 and $600 for each inhaler, typically purchased monthly. In Wisconsin, more than 500,000 people have asthma and nearly 6 percent of the population is estimated to suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

As a result, three manufacturers (AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, and GSK) committed to capping the costs of their inhalers at $35/month. The AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim caps went into effect on June 1, 2024, and GSK’s cap went into effect on January 1, 2025.

Lower Prescription Drug Prices for Seniors Under Inflation Reduction Act

In August 2024, HHS announced the results of the first round of lower negotiated drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries. The Baldwin-backed Inflation Reduction Act empowered Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drugs prices for the first time ever. The initial round included ten drugs that treat conditions such as diabetes and cancer. Medicare’s ability to negotiate prescription drug costs will cut some monthly prices by nearly 80% and more than $9,000, saving American taxpayers an expected $6 billion and people enrolled in Medicare $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in 2026 alone. Over 150,000 Wisconsinites are currently taking one or more of the 10 drugs, some of the most widely used and costly medicines. These prices go into effect on January 1, 2026.

In January 2025, HHS announced that 15 additional drugs covered under Medicare have been selected for price negotiations, including drugs to treat a variety of conditions, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and asthma. The results of these negotiations are expected later this year. The negotiated prices will go into effect on January 1, 2027.

Putting Limits on Junk Insurance Plans

After years of advocacy from Senator Baldwin, the Biden Administration finalized a rule to roll back the harmful 2018 Trump Administration short-term limited duration insurance rule that made junk plans more widely available to consumers.

Senator Baldwin has led the charge to limit junk insurance plans that can deny people with pre- existing conditions coverage. Since President Trump first allowed for junk plans to be expanded in 2018, Senator Baldwin has pushed to limit the use of these junk plans and urged President Biden to take action since he took office. In July, the Biden Administration finally began to roll back a 2018 Trump Administration effort designed to sabotage the Affordable Care Act that made junk plans more widely available to consumers. Since then, these plans have continued to expand. However, they are not required to adhere to important standards, including prohibitions on discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions, coverage for the 10 essential health benefit categories, and annual out-of-pocket maximums. The Biden Administration’s rule restored a 90-day limit on the use these insurance plans, instead of four years maximum, so junk plans can only be used on a temporary basis as intended.

Fighting for Reproductive Freedom

Senator Baldwin released a report detailing the State of Abortion in Wisconsin, highlighting new findings on how many women were denied access to care, the impacts of those who were forced to travel out of state, and the ongoing barriers, like long drive times, that are continuing to limit access to health care.

Senator Baldwin also co-sponsored and voted in favor of legislation that would protect American’s rights to contraception and IVF. Senator Baldwin joined her colleagues in introducing a resolution to support every woman’s basic right to emergency health care, including abortion care, regardless of where they live. She called for the Senate to pass her Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act, which would help offset the cost of travel-related expenses associated with traveling long distances to access reproductive health care, which did not pass due to Republican objection.

This builds on her previous work to fight to restore and protect Americans’ right to an abortion nationwide, including her leadership on the Women’s Health Protection Act.

Cranberries & Healthy Labeling

Senator Baldwin called on the FDA to reconsider its policy for “healthy” labeling of foods, which would have excluded certain cranberry products. In their final rule, the FDA amended the policy to allow cranberry products to be considered healthy if the added sugar they contain does not exceed what is found in comparable fruits.

Economy

Wisconsin wins Designation as a Biohealth Tech Hub

In 2024, Senator Baldwin announced that Wisconsin had officially been selected as a Tech Hub under the Baldwin-backed CHIPS and Science Act. Baldwin worked with Wisconsin’s consortium of public and private partners to bring home $49 million for the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub to grow the state’s personalized medicine and biohealth sector—advancing research and innovation, growing our economy and creating jobs, and boosting American competitiveness in a cutting-edge industry. This funding will boost research, expand lab space, increase coordination and collaboration, invest in workforce development, improve access to capital for starting and growing businesses, and further build out the personalized medicine and technology sector in Wisconsin.

Veterans

Bill to Connect Veterans with Earned Benefits Signed into Law

Senator Baldwin’s bipartisan Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act was signed into law this year. The legislation passed the House and Senate as part of a larger legislative package to support veterans. The CVSO Act expands support for County Veterans Service Officers, the community-based employees who work directly with veterans to inform them of eligibility for VA programs and services, file pension and compensation claims, and help them enroll in job, housing, disability, and education benefits. By increasing the number of CVSOs, states will be better able to leverage their local and federal resources to serve our veterans.

In Wisconsin, several CVSOs helped sound the alarm about a doctor at the Tomah VA who was misdiagnosing veterans who were suffering from traumatic brain injury. In part because CVSOs identified a troubling pattern, Senator Baldwin and impacted patients successfully got the VA to identify, reexamine, and in appropriate cases, deliver those misdiagnosed their earned benefits.

Advocating for Veterans who were Misdiagnosed at Tomah VA Medical Center

Senator Baldwin elevated the concerns of Wisconsin state, county, and local veterans service officers and pushed the Tomah VA to acknowledge and make amends for employing a physician who consistently misdiagnosed veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury and other serious neurological conditions. Senator Baldwin secured a commitment from the VA to reexamine approximately 600 veterans and to pay out over $4.2 million in backdated benefits to over 100 veterans who were harmed by the physician. The provider was also fired from the VA.

Expanding Veterans’ Access to CDL Schools

Senator Baldwin worked with Senator Fischer (R-NE) to pass the Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act of 2023. The bill expands veterans’ training opportunities in the trucking industry. It allows the VA to provide veterans with education assistance for attending commercial driver education programs at new locations (typically less than two years in operation) if the location demonstrates the curriculum is the same as the curriculum at a location that has already been approved by the VA.

Agriculture

Farm Bill

Senator Baldwin secured the inclusion of nine of her bipartisan bills, or components thereof, in the Senate Democrats farm bill, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, as well as a request she led on dairy programming, including:

• Healthy H2O Act: Senator Baldwin’s bill with Senator Collins (R-ME) which authorizes $10 million through 2029 for rural water testing and treatment.

• Farmland Security Act: Senator Baldwin’s bill with Senator Grassley (R-IO) that aims to address foreign ownership of American farmland.

• Dairy Business Innovation Act: Senator Baldwin’s bill with Senator Blackburn (R-TN) which increases the DBII funding authorization from $20 million to $36 million annually.

• Farmers First Act: Senator Baldwin’s bill with Senator Ernst (R-IO), which extends the Farmer and Rancher Stress Assistance Network program through 2029 and increases funding from $10 million to $15 million annually.

• Commission on Farm Transitions: Senator Baldwin’s bill with Senator Braun (R-IN), which requires USDA to set up the Commissions that provides recommendations for addressing barriers in transferring land and agricultural assets to next generation producers.

• Protecting Future Farmland Act: Senator Baldwin’s bill with Senator Grassley to support farmers’ land stewardship efforts as many choose to deploy solar energy on their land. The legislation will ensure that federal investment in rural energy projects prioritizes both land stewardship and responsible deployment of renewable energy to protect America’s farmlands for future cultivation.

• Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act: Legislation that invests in public research, develop regionally adapted seed varieties and animal breeds, and enable the U.S. to maintain a robust and resilient food and agricultural system.

• Organic Market Development Act: Baldwin’s bill to extend the Organic Market Development program created by USDA, which is increasing the capacity of organic producers and businesses in developing new markets for organic products.

• SAVE Act: Senator Baldwin’s bill with Senator Thune (R-SD) to protect American food products from unfair trade practices by foreign countries.

• Dairy Programming: It includes Baldwin’s priority to update the Dairy Margin Coverage Program and directing USDA to conduct mandatory plant cost studies every two years to provide better data to inform milk pricing.

Securing Organic Dairy Assistance

Senator Baldwin’s FY23 Agriculture Appropriations law included language requiring the Department of Agriculture to work with Congress find a solution to the dramatic rise in organic feedstock prices for livestock, especially organic dairy producers, as a result of severe drought conditions, international trade wars, supply chain backlogs, and unprecedented inflation. The agreement directed the agency to use available funding sources to address the problem, including exercising authority under the Commodity Credit Corporation. As a result, USDA made available $104 million for organic dairy farmers under the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program in 2023. The most recent tranche made $58 million available to dairy farmers in September 2024, of the overall $104 million pot.

Improving Access for Wisconsin Meat and Cheese in International Markets

Senator Baldwin led an effort to support USTR’s work to secure common food names of meat and cheese in trade agreements, including the agreement announced this August with the Chile. The letter to USTR also asks that the agency follow through with enforcement of the agreement, and that they work to secure similar agreements with additional countries. This effort mirrors Senator Baldwin’s legislation with Senator Thune, the SAVE Act, which would amend the Agriculture Trade Act of 1978 to include and define a list of common names for agricultural commodities, food products, and terms used in the marketing and packaging of products. The bill would also direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate with our foreign trading partners to defend the right to use common names for agricultural commodities in those same foreign markets.

Trade agreements over common food names are expected to give U.S. producers the opportunity to grow their businesses and to supply international consumers with specialty cheeses and meats using certain terms. In the case of the Chilean agreement, when the exchange of letters entered into force, the agreement ensures that current and future U.S. exporters of certain cheeses and meats will continue to be able to use those terms in Chile going forward. This deal was part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to prevent market access for U.S. producers from being undermined through measures that disallow for the use of terms that describe types of cheese and meat products. The letters will also be treated as an integral part of the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement, including for the purposes of dispute settlement.

Similar agreements were being worked out with Kenya and Taiwan under the Biden Administration.

Addressing Avian Flu

Senator Baldwin established her leadership and engagement on the unprecedented outbreak of avian flu in dairy herds by hosting a roundtable with Wisconsin and National dairy stakeholders and sending multiple letters to USDA to encourage the agency to aid dairy farmers during the crisis. Her first letter in April requested increased coordination between FDA and USDA with federal public health agencies, as well as state and local health officials. Her second letter in May requested that USDA provide funding for avian flu, including through the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives.

USDA set up multiple pathways for funding the avian flu response, including biosecurity measure and milk loss mitigation.

Broadband

Bill to Cut Red Tape for Rural Broadband Providers Passes Senate

Senator Baldwin worked with Senator Ernst to pass the Access to Capital Creates Economic Strength and Supports (ACCESS) Rural America Act through the Senate. Rural communities have struggled with telecommunication services for generation, and to address this problem, many rural communities formed their own rural telecom companies in the early 20th century. To pay for the construction of the infrastructure, the companies raised money from the community, issuing shares in the rural telecom company in exchange for cash. Over time, these stocks were split up and passed down among families. Today, more than one hundred years after many of these companies were formed, the increased shareholders from the stock splits are leading these companies to bump up against SEC disclosure rules intended for much larger companies.

Energy & Environment

Lowering Utility Bills

Wisconsin was in the first round of states to launch the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate Program, created by the Baldwin-backed Inflation Reduction Act. In total, the state received $149 million for the program, which provides instant discounts to low- and moderate-income households for installing energy-efficient appliances and aims to lower costs for working families by helping households save on energy bills.

Senator Baldwin fought to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which included $8.8 billion in federal funding to states, territories, and Tribes to lower energy costs and increase efficiency in American homes by making it cheaper to install cost-saving measures such as heat pumps, electrical panels, and insulation. These energy-saving measures will save American households up to $1 billion annually in energy costs and support an estimated 50,000 U.S. jobs in residential construction, manufacturing, and other sectors.

Year-Round E15

Senator Baldwin co-led a bipartisan letter requesting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant waivers to midwestern states to allow E15 to be sold in the summertime. EPA, as a result, granted those waivers and allowed greater access to biofuels at gas stations across Wisconsin and across the Midwest.

Investing in the Great Lakes

Senator Baldwin cosponsored and supported the Senate passage of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2024. The legislation charts a path forward for the geographic EPA program upon its current expiration in 2026 through 2031. Federal funding, totaling more than $816 million through the GLRI, has made over 1,200 projects possible throughout Wisconsin's Great Lakes basin.

Transportation

Pathways to Careers in Commercial Aviation for Veterans

Senator Baldwin secured a version of her American Aviator Act in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which was signed into law this year. The bill increases career opportunities for veterans by providing grants to flight-training schools with established pathways to employment with commercial air carriers. The grants can be used to recruit and enroll veterans for flight training, as well as for flight-training services, tuition, books, training materials, equipment and to cover the cost of a private pilot license.

Improving Air Travel Safety and Closing Service Gaps for Passengers with Disabilities

Measures from Senator Baldwin’s Air Carrier Access Amendments Act were signed into law as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. For example, the law now requires the Department of Transportation to ensure that the aircraft boarding and deplaning process is accessible for individuals with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs. DOT is also now required to investigate complaints about violation of the Air Carrier Access Act within 120 days. Currently, there are no timelines under the ACAA for reviewing complaints. In responding to complaints, DOT would need to provide, in writing, to both the individual and the air carrier, the Secretary’s determination regarding whether the Act was violated, the facts underlying the complaints, and any action the Secretary is taking in response to the complaint.

In December of 2024, in line with measures Senator Baldwin authored, the Department of Transportation issued a final rule to improve air travel for individuals with disabilities. The new rule requires that airlines meet more rigorous standards for accommodating passengers with disabilities, especially for passengers who use wheelchairs. It sets new standards for assistance, mandates hands-on training for airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and handle passengers’ wheelchairs and specifies actions that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged or delayed during transport.

Transitioning away from Firefighting Foam that contains PFAS

Senator Baldwin helped create a new grant program in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 to support airports transitioning to fluorine-free firefighting foams. The bill also includes a provision based on the PFAS-Free Firefighting Foam Transition Reporting Act to require the FAA to provide progress reports on the transition away from firefighting foams containing PFAS.

Bipartisan Legislation to Stop Offshoring of Airplane Maintenance and Support American Workers

Senator Baldwin helped secure the Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act with Senator Capito in the FAA Reauthorization Act, which was signed into law. This bill ensures that aircraft maintenance workers around the world are as qualified as American technicians. Specifically, foreign technicians are required to undergo background checks and drug as well as alcohol testing.

Improving Rail Service for Manufacturers and Agriculture

Senator Baldwin has long worked to improve competition in the railroad industry and called for the Surface Transportation Board to adopt a final rule on reciprocal switching, a process that permits shippers served by a single railroad to switch their freight to another major railroad. This year, the Surface Board finalized its rule and will allow shippers to seek reciprocal switching when their current railroad fails to meet specific service performance metrics. Senator Baldwin led a bipartisan letter to the Surface Transportation Board in support of their proposed rule to allow shippers to request rail service from a competing railroad when service fell below acceptable levels.

Education

Education Funding

As Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations subcommittee, Senator Baldwin negotiated a FY25 LHHH bill that advanced out of Committee on a bipartisan vote. This bill included $18.7 billion for Title I-A grants; $14.5 billion, an increase of $295 million, for IDEA Special Education State grant program; $1.475 billion, an increase of $35 million, for CTE state grants; a $100 increase in the maximum Pell grant award; and a $25 million increase for the Student Aid Administration to administer student aid programs.

Native Americans

Strengthening Tribal Families Act

Senator Baldwin’s Strengthening Tribal Families Act was signed into law this year as part of separate comprehensive legislation. Her bill seeks to improve states’ implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act, a law from 1978 that addressed decades of state and local policies that intentionally separated Native children from their families and tribal communities. The law puts additional protections in place to ensure Native children are not removed from their families due to overt or implicit bias against Native parents, Native relatives, and tribal communities.

Baldwin’s bill seeks to improve states’ implementation of ICWA by directing the Administration for Children and Families to establish a technical assistance plan to help states develop and implement strong ICWA implementation plans.

Seeking Healing for Native Communities Affected by Boarding School Policies

Senator Baldwin supported the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2024, which passed the Senate this year. The bill will establish a formal commission to investigate and document Indian Boarding School policies, including the federal government’s attempted termination of cultures, religions, and languages of Indigenous peoples, assimilation practices, and human rights violations. The commission is intended to develop recommendations for the federal government to acknowledge and heal the ongoing historical and intergenerational trauma passed down in Native families and communities and provide a forum for survivors to speak about these human rights violations.

Supporting Wisconsin’s Contribution to the Military

Burial Parity for Hmong Veterans

Senator Baldwin cosponsored a bill and NDAA amendment that has now been signed into law as part of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act that would remove a statutory incongruence that prevented Hmong veterans from burial in state and local veterans’ cemeteries.

Grants for Communities with Defense Workforce

Senator Baldwin secured a provision that has now been signed into law as part of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act that would allow the Department of Defense to provide grants to states and local governments to expand their workforce in support of the defense industrial base.

Domestic Production of Diesel Engines

Senator Baldwin secured a provision that has now been signed into law as part of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act that would require certain classes of Navy ships to include engines that are only procured within the National Technology and Industrial Base, such as by Fairbanks Morse Defense.

Judiciary

Historic Judicial Confirmations

During the Biden Administration, a record 235 Article III judges were appointed to the federal bench. Senator Baldwin helped to advance the confirmation of one associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 45 judges for the United States courts of appeals, 187 judges for the United States district courts. These appointments include 150 women, 139 people of color, and 12 openly LGBTQ appointees as federal judges.

Confirmation of Byron Conway

Senator Baldwin recommended Byron Conway to the White House to fill the vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He was confirmed by the Senate on a bipartisan vote.

Placing the Women’s Suffrage National Monument on the National Mall

Senator Baldwin successfully led bipartisan legislation to build a national monument on the reserve of the National Mall to honor the women’s suffrage movement and the passage of the 19th amendment. Her Women’s Suffrage National Monument Location Act was signed into law.

Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act

In June 2024, Senator Baldwin joined her colleagues in passing out of the Senate the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act which Senator Baldwin was also a cosponsor of. This legislation would establish a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center to provide technical support, training, and threat monitoring for state and local judges and other court personnel. This center would also help provide physical security assessments for courts, homes, and other facilities where judicial officers and staff conduct court-related business.

Wisconsin has seen an increase in threats against judicial personnel. In 2023, the Wisconsin Supreme Court Marshal’s Office documented 142 threats against judges and justices in the Wisconsin Court System. In 2022, Judge John Roemer, a retired Juneau County Circuit Court Judge, was killed in his home by an individual who was sentenced to prison by Judge Roemer more than a decade prior. This incident, coupled with the increase in threats has led several state judges and justices, including Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky and Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, to push for additional safety measures.

Tax

Wisconsin Taxpayers Get Access to Direct File

Senator Baldwin joined her colleagues in supporting the IRS Direct File pilot program in the 2024 tax season, resulting in American taxpayers saving approximately $5.6 million in tax preparation fees in just its pilot year. The pilot was used by more than 140,000 taxpayers and nearly 90 percent of surveyed filers said Direct File increased their trust in the IRS. Following the pilot’s success, Wisconsin is among 25 states that will be participating in the Direct File program.

Postal Service

Pushing USPS to Pause Postage Pricing Increases

In April 2024, after USPS announced the price increase for First Class Mail stamps, Senator Baldwin sent a letter to the Postal Board of Governors questioning Postmaster General DeJoy’s leadership, which has resulted in higher prices for Americans and worse service. Despite the USPS enacting their new “Delivering for America” plan – which they promised would modernize and transform the Postal Service – customers continued to experience poor customer service and significant mail delays, including for rural newspaper delivery. In September 2024, Senator Baldwin sent another letter to Postmaster General DeJoy regarding several Wisconsin newspapers that had experienced costly delivery delays resulting in lost revenue, customer complaints, and canceled subscriptions.

Following these letters, the Postal Service announced it would not raise postage prices in January 2025.

Small Business

Pushing Biden Administration to Support Northern Wisconsin Businesses Hurt by Lack of Winter Snow

Last winter, small businesses across Wisconsin suffered losses and were forced to close or cut staff due to the lack of visitors who are usually drawn to the area for seasonal recreation, including snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice fishing. Senator Baldwin and Governor Evers successfully pushed the Small Business Administration to ensure that Northern Wisconsin businesses hurt by last winter’s low snowfall could access disaster coverage.

Senator Baldwin then began work to change the law to ensure that small businesses are automatically eligible for this lifeline. She introduced the Winter Recreation Small Business Recovery Act, a piece of legislation aimed at ensuring businesses that depend on winter weather are eligible for disaster relief during mild winters with insufficient snowfall. The 2023-2024 winter saw record-low snowfall and record-high temperatures, leaving most of Wisconsin with little to no snowpack. As a result, many Wisconsin businesses reliant on winter tourism faced significant hardships.

The Winter Recreation Small Business Recovery Act would ensure that during winters with below average snowfall or snow cover, small businesses are eligible for disaster relief through the SBA’s Injury Disaster Loans. This existing SBA program provides small businesses with essential funds to maintain operations while recovering from natural or other disasters. Currently, qualifying disasters include droughts, ice storms, and blizzards, but do not account for winters lacking adequate snow.

Congressionally Directed Spending

Senator Baldwin secured over $260 million in direct support for over 80 community-driven projects across Wisconsin in the bipartisan funding packages which were signed into law in March 2024. These projects cover a wide berth of needed investments across Wisconsin, from public health, research and innovation, community safety infrastructure, clean water, educational programming, workforce training and development and much more.

Consumer Protection

Senator Baldwin introduced Esther’s Law, bipartisan legislation to ban the sale of water beads designed, intended, or marketed as a toy, educational material, art material or sensory tool for children. The bill is named after Esther Jo Bethard, a 10-month-old from North Prairie, WI, who passed away after she swallowed a stray water bead that an older sibling had played with months earlier.