Kenosha parents, child care professionals, and local leaders call out Steil for default brinkmanship

Constituents highlight Rep. Bryan Steil’s recent support for devastating cuts to child care programs

Tiara Harvey speaks during a recent press conference hosted by Opportunity Wisconsin. She is joined by (L to R) Debbie Nehs, Assistant Director at Lakelands Little Learners, Ruth Dyson, and Cierra Chesir. 

Friday, June 2, 2023

KENOSHA, Wis. – Yesterday, Opportunity Wisconsin, For Our Future Wisconsin, Diaper Depot & More, and Family Friendly Wisconsin, along with Kenosha area child care professionals, parents, and community leaders, joined together to call on Congressman Bryan Steil to fight for working families instead of supporting the wealthy and corporate special interests. The event coincided with a diaper drive aimed at ensuring Kenosha-area families have access to these critical supplies as potential default threatened access to child care funding.  

Cierra Chesir, Opportunity Wisconsin Regional Lead: 
“The only reason Wisconsin workers and families have been brought to the brink of economic disaster is that politicians like Congressman Bryan Steil are doing the bidding of billionaires and big corporations instead of fighting for Wisconsin workers and families. He risked over 7,000 area jobs and critical funding for child care, all so that corporate special interests and billionaires could avoid paying their fair share in taxes. We’re calling on Congressman Steil to do the right thing, take on big corporations, and fight for the people he’s actually supposed to represent.”

Thursday's event came as Congressman Steil has been playing politics with the well-being of Wisconsin workers and families. With a potential default looming, Congressman Steil and his colleagues pushed forward with their extreme “Default on America Act,” which would strip nutrition food assistance from 24,000 women, infants, and children in the state and eliminate at least 5,500 preschool or child care slots in Wisconsin. 

Tiaria Harvey, Kenosha: 
“I’m a single mother of two who is working hard each and every day to provide for my kids. Due to the high costs of childcare, I have had to rely on government support to help make ends meet and ensure my kids are cared for while I’m at work. If that wasn’t enough - I heard about how our Congressman - Bryan Steil - recently voted to slash food assistance and childcare funding for folks here in southeast Wisconsin. It really makes you wonder if he has ever sat down across the table with single working moms like me, who are doing their best to get by. Honestly, I doubt it. All he seems to care about is the super-rich and big corporations who give him money in return for favors.”

Ruth Dyson, Kenosha City Council and CEO of Diaper Depot & More:
“Much of my life has revolved around service - serving God, serving the less fortunate, and serving others. Unfortunately, the only people Congressman Steil serves are the wealthy and well-connected. It’s shameful that he and his colleagues would play politics with the lives of the people he’s supposed to serve by pushing our country to the brink of economic disaster.”

###