Sen. Tammy Baldwin: ‘I’m here to do what I’ve always done: fight for Wisconsin’
Reelected to a third term in the Senate, the Wisconsin Democrat says she is focused on kitchen-table issues.
Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin was reelected in November to a third six-year term. While Republicans now hold a 53-47 seat majority in the Senate, Baldwin says she is committed to accomplishing the ambitious policy agenda to improve life for Wisconsinites that she promised in her successful campaign.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am here to do what I have always done: fight for Wisconsin,” Baldwin told the Wisconsin Independent in a statement. “I’m focused on the kitchen table issues I hear from Wisconsin families about: cutting household costs and creating pathways to good paying jobs, fighting to protect and restore our rights and freedoms, and making sure everyone can get good, affordable health care. I’m ready to work alongside anyone interested in doing that with me.”
Health care
Baldwin has worked to improve health care, helping to pass the Affordable Care Act of 2010, commonly known as Obamacare; the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which capped out-of-pocket prescription drug and insulin costs for Medicare Part D subscribers; and an act to crack down on fentanyl supply chains. Her 2025 plans include continuing work to lower prescription drug costs for millions of Wisconsinites and to combat opioid and fentanyl addiction, and fighting any attempt by President Donald Trump and his Republican allies to repeal the ACA.
On Jan. 9, Baldwin and New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen introduced legislation to make permanent the enhanced tax credits for premiums for those who purchase health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, which are set to expire after the 2025 tax year.
Manufacturing and agriculture
Baldwin successfully worked to include “Buy American” rules in bipartisan Defense Department and infrastructure legislation, requiring federal agencies to buy domestic materials and products, aimed at leveling the playing field against subsidized imports for Wisconsin’s manufacturers and creating more jobs in the state. She says she plans to continue those efforts and hold multinational companies accountable for offshoring American jobs. On Jan. 17, she called on the Trump administration to penalize China for newly documented unfair trade practices.
Baldwin has worked with Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn on legislation to expand the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives, building on a program Baldwin created in 2018 to help American dairy farmers modernize their equipment and expand their product offerings.
Consumer costs
In 2024, Baldwin authored provisions in appropriations legislation aimed at lowering the cost of child care and increasing the availability of affordable housing. She says she plans to continue working on legislation to lower the costs of child care, housing, and food for Wisconsin families.
Protecting rights and freedoms
In the last Congress, Baldwin was lead sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that would have restored abortion rights previously guaranteed under Roe v. Wade, and cosponsored bills that would have guaranteed the right to contraception and IVF treatment. As Republicans in Congress work to roll back reproductive rights, Baldwin says she plans to stay on offense to protect those rights.
