GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Green Bay community leaders called out Congressman Tony Wied for his support of the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’
The bill offsets the costs of renewing President Trump’s package of tax cuts from his first term by making cuts to Medicaid, food assistance programs, and green energy incentives. It also allocates billions of dollars for border control and national defense.
Green Bay mayor Eric Genrich, several state representatives, city alders, and union leaders spoke at a news conference late Tuesday afternoon to voice their concerns about the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’
“It’s a bill that literally makes the poor poorer, and the rich richer,” Mayor Genrich said at the news conference.
“I don’t know what the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is trying to do here,” said Green Bay alder Joey Prestley. “I don’t know why we’re trying to attack people. It seems punitive.”
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 270,000 Wisconsinites could lose their health insurance because of the bill. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that three million Americans could lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. About 27,000 people utilize SNAP benefits in Brown County.
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State representative Ryan Spaude also pointed out that the bill will decrease the percentage of funding the federal government pays towards food assistance programs. He said this will stretch the state’s already tight budget and potentially impact other things the state funds.
“Do your job (Tony Wied) and represent all your constituents,” said Jon Shelton, who is the president of a local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. “Represent the teachers, the working families, and the kids in your community.”
Speaking with Local 5 News on Tuesday afternoon, Congressman Wied said he has a very different perspective on the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ particularly the cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs that have been so unpopular with Democrats.
“I want to be clear, I’m here to protect those entitlements, protect SNAP, protect Medicaid for those people who need it,” he said. “We’re here to root out the waste, fraud, and abuse.”
To Wied, the new work requirements the bill places as a prerequisite to receive these benefits were exactly what they needed to get rid of that ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’
Under the provisions of the new bill, to receive Medicaid, those ages 19 to 64 need to work, go to school, or do community service for at least 80 hours per month. SNAP recipients would now need to meet work requirements until they’re 65 years old (it was 55 years old).
There are exceptions for those people with children under the age of 14.
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Several of the people who spoke at the news conference in Green Bay on Tuesday afternoon said they’ve received these benefits at some point during their lives. They said work requirements make these benefits unattainable for many who rely on Medicaid and food assistance.
“The reality is that life is complex,” said Green Bay alder Alyssa Proffitt. “You’re adding that requirement, so something else is going to suffer in your life.”
“They aren’t work requirements, they are red tape,” said state representative Amaad Rivera-Wagner. “And government at its worst is not getting people support for what they need.”
Those at the press conference also say the bill benefits the very rich at the expense of the poor. Wied said this isn’t the case.
“This big, beautiful bill really helps everyday people with no tax on tips, no tax on overtime,” Wied said. “Improving their lives, putting more money in their pockets, allowing people to live their lives.”
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office completed an analysis of the implications of this bill. Largely stemming from the Medicaid and SNAP benefits cuts, various analyses from the CBO on the bill concluded that lower-income Americans would have a more difficult time making ends meet because of this bill.
Wied said he’s aware that not all of his constituents are fans of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ and said he has even received threatening messages. Democratic leaders at the news conference condemned any sort of threats or political violence, saying the best way to fight back against something or somebody you don’t like is to vote.
Wied said, despite some criticism, he’s proud that he voted yes for the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.”
“This bill is pro-American, pro-Wisconsinite, it puts more money back in people’s pockets,” he told Local 5 News, saying it also benefits manufacturers and farmers, two of the Badger State’s biggest industries.
