VIDEO: Senator Baldwin Unveils Package of Bills to Lower Costs for Wisconsin Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As costs for working families rise under the Trump Administration, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced a package of bills to address the ongoing affordability crisis in Wisconsin. Baldwin’s affordability agenda will lower the cost of purchasing a home for first-time homebuyers, ensure families can find and afford high-quality child care, and crack down on big corporations’ price gouging.

“President Trump promised to lower costs for Wisconsinites, and instead he’s launching a trade war, kicking hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites off their health insurance, and making life more expensive for hard-working families,” said Senator Baldwin. “Wisconsin families deserve some breathing room and deserve an agenda that works for them – not just for those in power, the wealthy, or well-connected. That’s why I’m pushing a package of commonsense bills that will help lower the costs of some of the biggest expenses in families' budgets each month – housing, child care, and household goods.”

Below are the bills that Senator Baldwin and her colleagues introduced:

First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act

The First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act would lower the cost of purchasing a home for first-time buyers by establishing a refundable tax credit worth up to 10 percent of a home’s purchase price – up to a maximum of $15,000 – for first-time homebuyers. Under the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act, taxpayers would have the option of receiving the credit at the time of purchase by working with their mortgage issuer. Alternatively, taxpayers could elect to treat the purchase of their home as occurring in the prior taxable year to receive the credit before tax season if they are unable to qualify for the credit at the point of sale.

The median sales price of homes in Wisconsin increased by more than half (53.3%) in just five years. During those years, the state’s median household income increased by only 19.7%. The National Association of Home Builders has estimated that the material costs to build a new home might increase by as much as $10,000 due to Trump’s tariffs.

Price Gouging Prevention Act of 2025

The Price Gouging Prevention Act of 2025 would prohibit corporate price gouging by authorizing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to enforce a federal ban against grossly excessive price increases, regardless of a seller’s position in a supply chain. The bill would help enforcers establish when price gouging is occurring during a significant shift in the market and outline a standard of what a violation is. It would also create an affirmative defense to protect small businesses that raise prices in good faith to earn a profit, while establishing presumptions against dominant companies that brag about exploiting American consumers or exercise unfair leverage to get ahead. Additionally, the bill would strengthen requirements for public companies to disclose changes in pricing strategies during market shocks in their filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Child Care for Working Families Act

The Child Care for Working Families Act would tackle the child care crisis head-on: ensuring families can afford the child care they need, expanding access to more high-quality options, stabilizing the child care sector, and helping ensure child care workers taking care of our nation’s kids are paid livable wages. The legislation will also dramatically expand access to pre-K, and support full-day, full-year Head Start programs and increased wages for Head Start workers. Under the legislation, the typical family in America will pay no more than $15 a day for child care—with many families paying nothing at all—and no eligible family will pay more than 7 percent of their income on child care. The bill would also address child care deserts by providing grants to help open new child care providers in underserved communities and to cover start-up and licensing costs to help establish new providers. Additionally, the legislation would ensure child care workers are paid a living wage and achieve parity with elementary school teachers who have similar credentials and experience. On average, Wisconsin child care for an infant costs $12,567 annually, or $1,047 per month.

Bill text for the Price Gouging Prevention Act can be found HERE and a one-pager HERE.

Bill text for the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act can be found HERE.

Bill text for the Child Care for Working Families Act can be found HERE and a pager HERE.

A full video from Senator Baldwin's press conference is available HERE.

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