Issue Position: Looking Out for Wisconsin Families

Issue Position

We see the many contributions that Wisconsin's hard-working families make every day, and the challenges they face finding decent-paying jobs, affording health care, and making ends meet as they build their lives. That is why I have made it a priority to work to create jobs and bring down the cost of living while building our communities and their resources to provide real advantages for our families.

In recent years, I have:

* Fought to keep good paying manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin and the United States by ensuring federal resources for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), which created or saved 8,000 jobs and assisted 1,200 small- and mid-sized manufacturers in the state over a five-year period.
* Supported job training programs that are proven effective in helping individuals find new, good-paying jobs.
* Directed millions in federal resources annually to economic development projects throughout the state of Wisconsin that have enhanced communities and created jobs.
* Reduced energy costs for consumers by voting to enact sweeping energy reform that will raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 and lower our national dependence on foreign oil.
* Worked to protect nursing home residents and home health patients from abuse and neglect.
* Worked to ensure that Wisconsin receives its fair share of Medicare dollars by successfully spearheading legislation to change the funding formula that penalized health care providers in state.
* Secured millions in federal dollars for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to ease the burden of energy bills on struggling household budgets. This federal initiative has helped over 5 million struggling households in Wisconsin receive winter heating assistance each year.

Source