Press Releases
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Champions the Keep Our Pension Promises Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today signed on as an original cosponsor of a bill that reverses deep pension cuts for retirees and workers in multi-employer pension plans. The Keep Our Pension Promises Act will protect the pensions of up to 10 million Americans. "We should respect the hard work of American workers and make sure the promises made to them are kept," said Senator Baldwin. "A secure retirement is a central pillar of economic security for the middle class." The Kee… Continue Reading
06.18.15
Baldwin Statement on Defense Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement after the Senate failed to advance the Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act, 2016: "As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I was able to ensure the FY 2016 Defense Appropriations bill includes important funding that supports Wisconsin's manufacturing economy and our servicemembers. "However, this defense bill is inflated with one-year budget gimmicks and locks in deep and automatic cuts to investmen… Continue Reading
06.18.15
Baldwin Statement on the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin released the following statement after the Senate passed the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 71-25: "Unfortunately Senate Republicans have pursued the wrong path of funding gimmicks that shortchange our military and their families. I also cannot support this legislation because it includes unnecessary restrictions on the Littoral Combat Ship program, which could lead to breaks in production of these ships made at Marinett… Continue Reading
06.16.15
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces Major Veterans Legislation to Combat Opioid Abuse
Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act would provide VA with the tools it needs to address the problem of overprescribing practices "The overreliance on opioids has resulted in getting our veterans hooked instead of getting them the help they deserve." WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Baldwin today announced her plans to introduce major legislation aimed at providing safer and more effective pain management services to our nation's veterans. On August 30, 2014, U.S. Marine Veteran Jason S… Continue Reading
06.15.15
U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Maria Cantwell Tour Prolitec, Inc. in Milwaukee
Milwaukee Small Business Grows and Creates Jobs with Export-Import Bank Investments Senators Call for Reauthorization of Export-Import Bank Before June 30 Deadline MILWAUKEE, WI - U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) toured Prolitec, Inc. in Milwaukee on Monday, June 15, 2015. The innovative Wisconsin small business has created jobs and economic growth with the support of Export-Import Bank investments. Unless Congress takes action, the Export-Import Bank is set to ex… Continue Reading
06.11.15
Baldwin Introduces NDAA Amendment to Increase Transparency at the VA Office of Inspector General
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin has introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 aimed at increasing transparency at the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG). Based on an amendment Senator Baldwin included in the Inspector General Empowerment Act (S. 579), this amendment would change current law to ensure that when the VA OIG completes a report, it is promptly shared with the VA Secretary, Congress, and the public. "Today's amendmen… Continue Reading
06.11.15
Baldwin Introduces NDAA Amendment to Prohibit Warrantless Government Searches
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin has introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 that would prohibit the government from conducting warrantless reviews of the content of Americans' email and other communications under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). While that provision was intended to be used to only monitor foreign nationals, the National Security Agency (NSA) has admitted that it searches data obt… Continue Reading
06.10.15
Baldwin Part of Bipartisan Effort to Improve Planning Options for Patients with Advanced Illness
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and a bipartisan coalition led by Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), introduced legislation today designed to give people with serious illness the freedom to make more informed choices about their care, and the power to have those choices honored. The Care Planning Act of 2015 creates a Medicare benefit for patient-centered care planning for people with … Continue Reading
06.10.15
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
