Press Releases
Baldwin Helps Launch New Legislation to Expand Access to Affordable Over-the-Counter Birth Control
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has joined the committee's Ranking Member, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), in launching the Affordability is Access Act, a new bill that would build on contraception coverage access in the Affordable Care Act by ensuring that when the FDA approves birth control pills for over the counter use, they will be covered without cost sharing and without the need for a prescription. The le… Continue Reading
06.10.15
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Urges White House to Nominate Middle Class Advocates to SEC
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today urged President Obama to nominate individuals who are dedicated to representing the interests of American middle-class families to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In her letter, Senator Baldwin emphasized that Americans will be best served by Commissioners who have a track record advocating for the public interest and implementing Dodd-Frank regulations that can crack down on Wall Street excess and prevent us from repeating the mi… Continue Reading
06.09.15
Baldwin, Murphy Hail Pentagon’s Move to Include Sexual Orientation in Anti-Discrimination Policy
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released a joint statement hailing U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter's announcement that the Pentagon will protect gay, lesbian and bisexual troops from discrimination. Secretary Carter's announcement comes just days after Murphy and Baldwin introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would establish sexual orientation as a protected category under the DoD Military Equal Opportunity Progra… Continue Reading
06.08.15
Baldwin Joins More Than 30 Senators to Urge Consumer Agency to Issue “Strongest Possible Rules” to Stop Predatory Payday Lending
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) considers new rules to rein in predatory practices in payday and similar types of lending, Senator Tammy Baldwin joined 31 of her colleagues in expressing their support for the initial steps the agency has taken and urged the agency to issue the strongest possible rules to combat the "cascade of devastating financial consequences" that these high-priced loans often have on consumers. In a letter to CFPB Director Richard Cordr… Continue Reading
06.04.15
Bipartisan Group Urges Education Department to Simplify Financial Aid Process
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), along with U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), led a bipartisan group of 53 Members of Congress in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan urging him to use his authority to allow the use of data from the sec… Continue Reading
06.04.15
Senator Baldwin Supports Bill to Reward U.S. Companies That Invest in American Workers, Rather Than Ship Jobs Overseas
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin signed on as an original cosponsor of the Patriot Employer Tax Credit Act, a bill that would provide a tax credit to companies that provide fair wages and good benefits. "We should respect hard work and invest in American businesses and workers instead of rewarding corporations that ship our jobs to other countries," said Senator Baldwin. "We need to create Made in America economic growth that will rebuild our middle class, not encourage the outsour… Continue Reading
06.03.15
Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces More Than $17.3 Million in AmeriCorps Funding for Wisconsin
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, along with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) CEO Wendy Spencer, announced more than $17.3 million in new grants for Wisconsin that will support AmeriCorps members serving the community with local organizations. The funding announced today includes $12 million in grants to Wisconsin nonprofits and $5.2 million in education scholarships for AmeriCorps members. In addition, the grants will leverage an additional $18.6 milli… Continue Reading
06.02.15
Senator Tammy Baldwin Statement on USA FREEDOM Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement on the USA FREEDOM Act, which passed the Senate 67-32: "I voted against the PATRIOT Act more than a decade ago because I believed it would open the door to government overreach. Since then, we have seen that secret, domestic surveillance programs at the National Security Agency have crossed the line. "The USA FREEDOM Act makes important reforms, including putting an end to the government's bulk collection of Americ… Continue Reading
05.27.15
Senator Baldwin Joined by First Responders and Concerned Citizens in Milwaukee to Call for Action on Dangerous Oil Trains
MILWAUKEE, WI - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today was joined at Beulah Brinton Park by local first responders and concerned citizens to highlight the dangers facing Milwaukee and surrounding communities as volatile oil train traffic increases and call for immediate action to increase rail safety in Wisconsin. Senator Baldwin's Crude-By-Rail Safety Act would set new standards for crude volatility, take unsafe tank cars off the tracks, and increase fines for violations. In addition, the legislatio… Continue Reading
05.26.15
Senator Baldwin Joined by First Responders and Concerned Citizens in La Crosse to Call for Action on Dangerous Oil Trains
LA CROSSE, WI - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today was joined by local first responders and concerned citizens to highlight the dangers facing La Crosse and surrounding communities as volatile oil train traffic increases and call for immediate action to increase rail safety in Wisconsin. Senator Baldwin's Crude-By-Rail Safety Act would set new standards for crude volatility, take unsafe tank cars off the tracks, and increase fines for violations. In addition, the legislation would authorize fund… Continue Reading
05.22.15
Baldwin Provisions to Protect the Great Lakes and Strengthen Wisconsin’s Innovation Clears Major Senate Hurdle
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of the Senate Appropriations and Budget Committees, today applauded the inclusion of several of her provisions in the bipartisan FY16 Energy and Water Development funding legislation, which passed through the committee by a vote of 26-4. The spending bill now heads to the Senate floor. "I was proud to include several priorities in this legislation that work in part to protect our Great Lakes and strengthen Made in Wisconsin innovation," … Continue Reading
05.22.15
Baldwin Provisions to Increase Transparency, Improve Patient Safety at Tomah VAMC Clears Major Senate Hurdle
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of the Senate Appropriations and Budget Committees, today applauded the inclusion of several of her provisions aimed at addressing issues at the Tomah VAMC in the bipartisan FY16 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which passed the committee by a vote of 21-9. The spending bill now heads to the Senate floor. "I was proud to include several priorities in this legislation that r… Continue Reading
05.21.15
Baldwin, Murphy Lead Senators in Calling on Defense Secretary to Update Policies and Prevent Discrimination of Servicemembers Based on Sexual Orientation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Chris Murphy (D-CT) led a bipartisan group of 22 senators in calling on U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter to update the equal opportunity policies across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and military services to prevent discrimination, harassment, or intimidation of service members based on sexual orientation. In their letter, the senators explained that the 2011 repeal of the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy enabled service mem… Continue Reading
05.21.15
Baldwin Joins Warren, Others to Question Education Department on Long-Delayed Investigation into Violations of Servicemembers’ Rights
WASHINGTON, DC - Today U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D- Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) in sending a letter to the Department of Education (ED) seeking information about its long-delayed investigation into charges of systematic violations of servicemembers' rights by federal student loan servicers, including Navient. In the letter, the Senators note that one year af… Continue Reading
05.21.15
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces Support for Biomass Thermal Utilization Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today announced her support for the bipartisan Biomass Thermal Utilization (BTU) Act which is led by Senator Angus King (I-ME) and would provide tax incentives to upgrade to clean, affordable biomass wood-pellet boilers. Under current law, thermal biomass systems do not qualify for investment tax credits for capital costs incurred in residential and commercial installations, unlike a host of other renewable energy technologies. The BTU Act would achi… Continue Reading
05.20.15
Baldwin Leads Efforts to Protect Wisconsin Manufacturers and Workers in Trade Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. -U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin has taken steps to improve a trade proposal currently being debated in the Senate by filing amendments to the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 to help bolster labor standards, increase manufacturing jobs and wages in Wisconsin, and crack down on illegal trade practices. On Tuesday, Senator Baldwin took to the Senate floor to outline her concerns over the current trade negotiations and highlight how her amendment… Continue Reading
05.19.15
Baldwin Applauds ACA Special Enrollment Period Final Numbers
From March 15 to April 30, 147,000 consumers signed up for coverage through HealthCare.gov using the tax special enrollment period In February, Baldwin called on HHS to establish a special enrollment period open to uninsured who paid 2014 tax penalty, but missed open enrollment period that ended February 15 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced over 147,000 individuals signed… Continue Reading
05.19.15
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Statement on the Tomah VAMC 30 Day Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin made the following statement regarding the 30-Day Plan released by the Tomah VA Medical Center: "These are positive administrative steps going forward but there are ongoing investigations and the unfinished business of holding people accountable for the problems at the Tomah VA. There is still a lot of work to do and I expect more from the VA to make sure the problems and tragedies at the Tomah VA never happen again. I am continuing my work o… Continue Reading
05.19.15
U.S. Senators Baldwin and Franken Introduce Trade Bill Amendment to Level the Playing Field for American Manufacturers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Al Franken (D-MN) introduced an amendment to the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 to ensure American manufacturers and their workers are able to compete on a level playing field. The amendment allows the United States to continue to enforce existing trade laws, including trade remedies that allow for anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports that are unfairly subsidized or dumped in domestic… Continue Reading
05.14.15
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Applauds Progress on Overtime Protections for Middle Class Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin applauded progress on efforts to support Wisconsin's middle class and boost incomes of working families by strengthening overtime protections for salaried workers. "Too many Americans are working longer and harder yet they are still struggling to get ahead," said Senator Baldwin. "I'm encouraged to see continued progress on this effort to strengthen overtime protections that respect and reward hard work. Working families in Wisconsin deserve a fair… Continue Reading
