SCOTUS Has Spoken, Again. Will Senator Johnson Finally Stop His Assault on the Affordable Care Act?

Opportunity Wisconsin weighs in after ruling upholds health law

June 17, 2021

MADISON, Wis.— Opportunity Wisconsin released the following statement today after the conservative U.S. Supreme Court voted 7-2 to uphold the Affordable Care Act and dismiss the latest attacks on the law, led by Senator Ron Johnson. 

Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin program director:
“The decade-long war on our healthcare has been stopped once again. Not only has the Affordable Care Act once again been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, but it continues to be a lifesaving law that enjoys significant, bipartisan support among Wisconsinites. However, Senator Ron Johnson has spent the entirety of his political career hellbent on rolling back the law and its critical provisions, like coverage for over 2.4 million folks in the Badger State with pre-existing conditions. We’re calling on Senator Johnson to drop his assault on the Affordable Care Act and instead focus his energy on supporting policies that continue to expand access to the kind of high quality, affordable care the law provides.”

In 2017, Senator Johnson helped lead an effort in the Senate to strip healthcare coverage away from Wisconsinites with pre-existing conditions which could now include people who survived the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, Senator Johnon voted against the American Rescue Plan which reduces healthcare costs by approximately $600 for folks in Wisconsin. For example, a 60-year-old couple with a household income of $75,000 could save $1,389 in monthly premiums.

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Senator Johnson Promises to Once Again Block Aid for Wisconsinites, Even If It’s Bipartisan

Johnson vows to obstruct critical investments in Wisconsin roads and bridges

June 10, 2021

MADISON, Wis.— Opportunity Wisconsin released the following statement after U.S. Senator Ron Johnson vowed to block any bipartisan bill that invested in Wisconsin’s aging infrastructure, cut taxes for the middle class, boosted new job training programs, and expanded broadband access. Senator Johnson was directly quoted saying, “I’d do what I could to frustrate its passage.”     

Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin program director:
“While senators of both parties are working to find common ground on infrastructure, it’s unacceptable that Senator Johnson is already planning to block this legislation. To be clear, he’s promising to stand in the way of middle class tax cuts, increasing funding for highways and bridges, new job training programs for those left behind by closed power plants, and expanding broadband access for families and businesses across the Badger State. 

“Senator Johnson was proud to try and block lifesaving investments made by the American Rescue Plan, including $1,400 relief checks. We need Senator Johnson to start doing his job instead of blocking Wisconsin’s recovery at every turn.”

A recent analysis of Census Bureau data showed sharp declines in food shortages and financial instability and anxiety thanks to the $1,400 direct payments included in the American Rescue Plan. 

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No Excuse for Sen. Johnson Voting Against Bipartisan Jan. 6th Commission

Friday, May 28, 2021

Wisconsin — Opportunity Wisconsin released the following statement today after Senator Ron Johnson voted “no” on establishing a bipartisan commission to investigate the events leading up to the January 6th violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Several law enforcement officers died as a result of the injuries they sustained at the riot.

Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin program director:

“There is no excuse to vote against a bipartisan investigation into what took place on January 6th. Senator Johnson has consistently downplayed the violence and death that far-right insurrectionists inflicted on law enforcement that day. This goes far beyond partisan politics: It was an assault on our democracy.

“We are profoundly disappointed and deeply ashamed that a senator from Wisconsin would not support an investigation into the truth. Wisconsinites deserve better from their elected leaders. ”

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[ICYMI] La Crosse Tribune: Johnson Endangers Lives with Misinformation

MADISON, Wis.— In case you missed it, the La Crosse Tribune recently published a letter to the editor from Dr. Rebecca Beach of Richland, Wisconsin.

KEY POINT: “As a doctor, it is my job to provide factual up-to-date information for my patients to make medical decisions. By politicizing the decision to get vaccinated and giving people misinformation, Johnson is making my job difficult.”

During a radio interview earlier this month, Senator Johnson questioned why efforts were being made to vaccinate Americans, including young people and those previously infected with COVID-19. A detailed fact check from CNN outlined the multiple, and dangerous, inaccuracies in Senator Johnson’s claims.

La Crosse Tribune
Rebecca Beach: Johnson endangers lives with misinformation
May 22, 2021

This past month, Sen. Ron Johnson reached new levels in failing our citizens. He questioned the effectiveness of masks at a town hall. He went on a radio show with a known vaccine skeptic and criticized the vaccination effort that is helping Wisconsinites return to their way of life.

As a doctor, it is my job to provide factual up-to-date information for my patients to make medical decisions. By politicizing the decision to get vaccinated and giving people misinformation, Johnson is making my job difficult.

I only have one agenda, keeping my patients safe and healthy, what's Johnson's?

Rebecca Beach, MD
Richland

Read more here: https://lacrossetribune.com/opinion/letters/rebecca-beach-johnson-endangers-lives-with-misinformation/article_d1ef67db-7ac9-551e-88b8-f91e4f31623c.html

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No Thanks to Sen. Johnson, U.S. Reaches Major Vaccination Milestone

50% of U.S. adults expected to be fully vaccinated as of Tuesday

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

MADISON, Wis.— As the United States prepares to reach another major milestone in the fight against COVID-19, Opportunity Wisconsin today released the following statement. The American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Biden, includes $20 billion for vaccine distribution, including $7.5 billion to set up vaccination sites across the country.  
   
Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin program director:
“Today is a day of celebration for so many across America and in the Badger State as 50 percent of adults are now fully vaccinated. We’re incredibly grateful to frontline healthcare workers, modern medicine, and our elected leaders who have prioritized significant investments in the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. Over the past year, Wisconsin has seen an unbelievable amount of loss, but today there is hope. 

“We’ve also seen Senator Ron Johnson constantly amplifying dangerous and debunked pandemic conspiracy theories, in addition to voting against the critical vaccine investments included in the American Rescue Plan. Unfortunately he’s not alone. Wisconsin’s entire Republican congressional delegation also voted against the urgent relief provided by this law. Wisconsin workers and families are finally on the road to recovery, no thanks to Senator Ron Johnson.”

In a March profile, the New York Times detailed Senator Johnson’s long history of promoting conspiracy theories stating, “In recent months, Mr. Johnson has sown doubts about President Biden’s victory, argued that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was not an armed insurrection, promoted discredited Covid-19 treatments, said he saw no need to get the coronavirus vaccine himself and claimed that the United States could have ended the pandemic a year ago with the development of a generic drug if the government had wanted that to happen.”

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[ICYMI] WPR: Pandemic Continues To Exacerbate Hardships For Wisconsin Renters

New report from Opportunity Wisconsin outlines how American Rescue Plan is keeping Wisconsin housed

Friday, May 21, 2021

MADISON, Wis.— In case you missed it, yesterday Wisconsin Public Radio offered a summary of a recent virtual roundtable co-hosted by Opportunity Wisconsin, BLOC, and Citizen Action of Wisconsin, where participants discussed Wisconsin’s housing crisis and how the American Rescue Plan has helped keep the Badger State housed.  

KEY POINT: “Wisconsin received $306 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to help low-income renters pay the mounting backlog of rent and $90 million in grant funding for homelessness reduction programs.”

Read how the American Rescue Plan keeps Wisconsin housed in a new report from Opportunity Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Public Radio
Pandemic Continues To Exacerbate Hardships For Wisconsin Renters
May 20, 2021
By Corrinne Hess

In the city of Ashland at the northern tip of Wisconsin, the coronavirus pandemic has forced renters struggling to pay their monthly bills into a delicate dance with landlords also worried about paying their tax and utility bills.

Renters are paying as much as 70 percent of their monthly income on housing, and the scarce number of affordable rental properties in the area are being converted into Airbnb vacation homes, leaving many families homeless.

Kathy Beeksma, executive director of the City of Ashland Housing Authority, said there's an inadequate number of affordable rentals in the city, and many wouldn't pass health or safety inspections.

"The homeless rate has gone up, and there is no shelter here," Beeksma said, adding that the closest homeless shelter is more than 60 miles away and is always full. "Because of some funding opportunities, we’re hoping a building will be dedicated as a shelter, but that will be a year. And winter is harsh up here, it’s awfully brutal."

Beeksma spoke during a virtual roundtable Wednesday hosted by Opportunity Wisconsin, Black Leaders Organizing for Communities and Citizen Action of Wisconsin about how the pandemic has exacerbated Wisconsin’s housing crisis.

As of April, 155,000 Wisconsin renters, or about 13 percent, weren't current on their rent, according to a new report by Opportunity Wisconsin.

The federal eviction moratorium issued in September 2020 expires June 30.

Milwaukee resident Debra Gary has had times in her life when she struggled to pay her bills. She has ended up in court and has relied on help from friends and family. While she’s in a good situation now, she said one bad thing can happen — job loss or an extra bill — and it can devastate someone’s life.

"There are resources available, but it’s difficult to let people know, and sometimes people are on a waiting list and run out of time when it’s their turn," Gary said during the roundtable.

Gary said without the eviction moratorium, people wouldn’t have had time to come up with a plan B or C, which is what they needed during the pandemic.

"Not to mention the devastation on children and their schooling," she said. "If you don’t have a home, how can children attend (virtual) school?"

Joanne Lipo Zovic, with Mediate Wisconsin, a nonprofit that provides mediation services for foreclosures and evictions in Milwaukee, said she doesn’t believe the moratorium will be extended because many of the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.

Lipo Zovic said without it, there would have been about 10,000 evictions since September across the state.

Wisconsin received $306 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to help low-income renters pay the mounting backlog of rent and $90 million in grant funding for homelessness reduction programs.

Lipo Zovic said she hopes if the moratorium is lifted, landlords and renters will work together rather than flooding the courts.

"I know the apartment association has said to their membership, 'Just hold off on everything, there is funding let the funding get to people,'" Lipo Zovic said. "We want as much stability as possible. Hopefully the things that are in place are going to keep moving and the things that are happening are going to hope to improve it. But it is definitely a slow process."

Read more here: https://www.wpr.org/pandemic-continues-exacerbate-hardships-wisconsin-renters

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NEW Report Highlights How American Rescue Plan is Keeping Wisconsin Housed

With federal eviction moratorium on shaky ground, new federal funding is helping to prevent a worsening crisis

Wisconsin received $306 million to help low-income renters pay back rent

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

MADISON, Wis.— Opportunity Wisconsin today released a new report highlighting how the American Rescue Plan is keeping Wisconsin housed during the pandemic, especially as the federal eviction moratorium faces an uncertain future. The nationwide ban on evictions for nonpayment of rent is set to expire on June 30, 2021.

Highlights from the report include: 

• As of April 2021, 155,000 (13%) of Wisconsin renters are not current on rent.

• Wisconsin received $306 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) to help low-income renters pay the mounting backlog of rent.

• Wisconsin received $90 million in grant funding for homelessness reduction programs.

“COVID-19 poured gasoline on Wisconsin’s housing crisis and the American Rescue Plan has quite literally been a lifesaver for so many across the Badger State,”said Meghan Roh, Opportunity Wisconsin program director.“Whether it’s homeowners, renters, or those experiencing homelessness—the American Rescue Plan makes major investments on behalf of those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic. This would not have been possible without our elected leaders like Senator Baldwin, who helped deliver this critical relief. Unfortunately, instead of joining the fight on behalf of Wisconsin residents, folks like Senator Johnson and Wisconsin’s Republican congressional representatives fought against this important funding.”

A copy of Opportunity Wisconsin’snew reportis posted below.

Members of the media wishing to speak with Wisconsin residents benefitting from the American Rescue Plan should emailpress@opportunitywisconsin.org.

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How the ARP Keeps WI Housed

The pandemic has resulted in immense hardship for all Wisconsinites, including homeowners, renters, and those experiencing homelessness. Mortgages have become harder to pay, rent is late, and we’re all struggling to pay our basic bills. There is currently a federal eviction moratorium, but the situation could become dire if the moratorium is lifted and large numbers of Wisconsinites are still late on payments. The American Rescue Plan makes a major investment in assistance across the spectrum of housing to prevent this crisis when the federal moratorium is eventually lifted.

ARP in Wisconsin

• As of April 2021, 155,000 (13%) of Wisconsin renters are not current on rent.

• Wisconsin received $306 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) to help low-income renters pay the mounting backlog of rent.

• Wisconsin received $90 million in grant funding for homelessness reduction programs.

ARP Provisions

Homelessness
On April 8th, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sent$4.9 billionto states to help people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness via the HOME investment partnership program. HOME-ARP funding provides grants to 651 state, local, and insular area governments with the flexibility to implement programs to best meet local housing needs, like the development of affordable housing options or the construction of non-congregate shelters.

Housing and Rental Assistance
Stopping the housing crisis is essential in a world where we are all being asked to stay at home. By preventing foreclosures and evictions, we can keep people safe in their own homes and prevent them from getting sick. The ARPinvestsin several major programs that help homeowners, renters, and public housing tenants to ensure that nobody is forced from their housing during a global health crisis. This effort includes:

• $5 billion emergency housing vouchers

• $21.5 billion in emergency rental assistance

• $10 billion for the homeowners assistance fund

• $750 billion for housing assistance and support services to Native Americans

• $100 million in emergency assistance for rural housing

• $100 million for housing counselors to provide services to households facing housing instability

• $39 million for USDA section 502 and 504 direct loan borrowers

• $20 million for Fair Housing Initiatives Programs

• $4.5 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Impact on Wisconsin

Hardship

• As of March 2021, 155,000 (13%) of Wisconsin renters are not current on rent.

• An estimated 4,515 people experienced homelessness in Wisconsin in 2020, including 1,838 people in families with children, 193 unaccompanied youth, and 337 veterans.

• Milwaukee, WI ranked 8th in the nation for cities with the most eviction filings during COVID-19. Milwaukee has the highest Black population of any city in Wisconsin, and housing instability already disproportionately impacts non-white renters and homeowners. The pandemic has exacerbated a longstanding issue of racism in the Milwaukee housing market.

State-Specific Allocations

• The American Rescue Plan allocates $306 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) to Wisconsin for low-income renters experiencing hardship.

• Wisconsin will receive over $210 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding to help families with energy costs.

• The American Rescue Plan has already distributed the first allocation in the homelessness reduction program, sending Wisconsin state and local governments a total of $90 million in grant funding that can be used to provide rental assistance, build affordable housing, develop non-congregate sheltering, and provide support services.

Location Allocation

Eau Claire - $ 1,140,076

Green Bay - $1,948,216

Kenosha - $1,963,911

La Crosse - $1,097,432

Madison - $5,076,197

Milwaukee - $20,309,464

Racine - $2,080,178

Dane County - $2,255,364

WI Non Entitlement - $41,859,563

CNSRT-Milwaukee County - $4,499,862

CNSRT-Waukesha County - $5,293,334

CNSRT-Janesville - $2,442,156

WI Total - $89,965,753

[ICYMI] Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How President Biden's Rescue Plan Could Help Poor Kids in Wisconsin

American Rescue Plan gives historic boost to Wisconsin families, benefitting 92% of all Badger State children

May 12, 2021

MADISON, Wis.— In case you missed it, last week the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published an opinion article from Tim Smeeding, a Professor of Public Affairs and Economics at the La Follette School and former director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

KEY POINT: “Passed in March, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan offers the most sweeping anti-poverty package for children in U.S. history. The greatest benefit comes in the form of an expanded child tax credit, which estimates suggest will benefit 92% of all children in Wisconsin, including 140,000 poor kids.”

Read more about how the American Rescue Plan helps Wisconsin families in this updated report from Opportunity Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Opinion: How President Biden's rescue plan could help poor kids in Wisconsin
May 5, 2021
By Tim Smeeding

The COVID-19 recession has increased poverty and insecurity, especially for minority and female-headed families in Wisconsin. But the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan will have significant benefits for these families, and particularly for Wisconsin’s children.

A study from UW-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty showed that Wisconsin’s Black child poverty in 2018 was four times that of white child poverty — above 30%. Hispanic and other minority child poverty rates were almost twice as high as for white children. When the American Rescue Plan goes into effect, though, the state’s Black child poverty rate is expected fall below 15%, while the Hispanic Latino child poverty rate should fall to 7% or 8%.

Passed in March, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan offers the most sweeping anti-poverty package for children in U.S. history. The greatest benefit comes in the form of an expanded child tax credit, which estimates suggest will benefit 92% of all children in Wisconsin, including 140,000 poor kids.

The Biden administration first added billions for hunger relief, including a substantial increase in “food stamps,” known as FoodShare in Wisconsin. More importantly, the legislation increased the child tax credit from $2,000 per child per year to $3,000 for those 6 to 17 years old and $3,600 for younger children. It made the child tax credit fully refundable to all families who qualify, with monthly payments for children from lower-income and working-class families starting this summer. The plan also added substantially to subsidized child care benefits such as Wisconsin CARES to allow lower-income families to more easily increase their work effort.

These policies will cut child poverty by more than half nationally and increase earnings among the lowest-income families. The child tax credit stabilizes incomes and reduces economic uncertainty month to month, at least for one year (though the Biden administration has pending legislation to extend it far beyond that). And while higher earnings mean paying a bit more for child care and receiving less in FoodShare benefits, the child tax credit is not reduced until incomes exceed $112,000 a year.

Every low-income child in the United States with a Social Security number, including the 6.3 million children of immigrants born here, will benefit from the refundable child tax credit. The benefit also helps support 14 million children who are living in multigenerational “grandfamilies,” many of them struggling to raise grandchildren when parents are not capable of doing so alone. The effects are especially helpful to poor Black children and other minorities.

Read more here: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/solutions/2021/05/05/how-president-bidens-rescue-plan-could-help-poor-kids-wisconsin/4925343001/

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