The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original
production. >> Contention over the state
budget continues as federal budget cuts hit home. While
Middle East conflict draws sharp. Political contrasts.
[MUSIC] Tonight on "Here& Now" work
on the next two year state budget is back on. As of
today, we get an update from the Capitol. Also where
state and federal funding leaves two tribal programs
involving health care and healthy food. And members of
the medical community take a stand against changing
vaccine recommendations at the federal level. It's
"Here& Now" for June 27th. [MUSIC]
>> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
>> Getting to the point of voting on a state budget
turns out to be a difficult affair. The legislature's
Joint Finance Committee was to go into session this
morning, but has now pushed that off to 8 p.m. Wisconsin
Public Radio Capitol reporter Anya van Wagtendonk
joins us now from the Capitol with what's
happening. Hi, Anya. Thanks for being here.
>> Hey, thanks for having me.
>> So what is happening? >> Not very much. As you
say, they were meant to go into session earlier this
morning, and we have kind of waited around and heard, as
they have moved that start date quite a bit. Or that
start time, I should say. And so what that tells me is
that they are meeting in closed caucus. So things are
certainly happening. They are just not happening in a
way that we can see it. So we're waiting to see kind of
what agreements they bring to the table.
>> Could they actually cancel tonight's session?
>> I suppose that's possible. You know, I think
everyone's kind of running around a little bit, trying
to figure out exactly what's going on. A lot of texting
of sources and other journalists and, you know,
people that we know inside of lawmakers offices. And I
think the answer is no one really knows what's going
on. But I spoke with one reporter who's been covering
the budget for a lot longer than I have, and he said,
essentially, you know, if you can dream up a scenario,
it is possible. And so really, it's possible
anything could happen tonight. It could go very
late or things could get kind of shifted around.
>> Does this have to do with holdouts? Republican members
of the Senate as holdouts? >> Yeah. You know, again, we
don't know exactly what sort of the push and pull is. But
we have seen a lot of different scenarios kind of
unfolding over the last couple of weeks. So first we
saw legislative Republicans and Governor Tony Evers
talks between them kind of break down. Then they
returned to the table. Then discussions between Senate
Republicans and Assembly Republicans kind of came to
a standstill. There were some barbs being traded on
social media among Republicans over the
weekend. And so all of that is kind of within this loop.
We know that Governor Tony Evers has certain things
that he will not sign a budget without. Republicans
have said, you know, they access to meaningful tax
cuts. And so all of this is kind of swirling around. And
I think as we get close to that, that fiscal year
deadline, we're really starting to see things play
out. >> But meanwhile, they have
some very big ticket items to decide on tonight. And
potentially through the weekend.
>> Yeah, that's right. They have both a long list of
things in general. There's I think, 50 items on the
agenda for this, this meeting that has been
noticed. And then as you mentioned, some of them are
really significant. Notable the University of Wisconsin
system. Those are notable in part because they are
Governor Evers big priorities. He has said he
will not sign a budget that doesn't have meaningful
investment in either of those. And so what that ends
up being is a little bit of leverage for Republicans to
kind of get him to the table on those on those tax cuts.
But that also means that, you know, that there is, as
we mentioned, in the breakdown between Senate
Republicans and Assembly Republicans, a lot of push
pull around the amount of spending that the Democratic
governor would want. >> How does the slimmer
Republican majority inform how this budget session has
gone? >> Yeah. So that also really
speaks to, again, some of those chamber disputes that
are going on. So essentially there are enough Republican
votes in the Assembly. And ordinarily how this could
work is that Republicans just vote for the Republican
budget. And then the governor could go through
and kind of use his veto pen, the Democratic
governor. But in this case, in the Senate especially,
it's an 18 to 15 majority. So a much slimmer majority.
So if Republicans lose two votes, they don't have a
majority there. And it's actually looking like they
have lost two votes. There are two outspoken Republican
senators who have said they just can't support the
amount of spending that their Republican colleagues
are proposing in the Joint Finance Committee. And so,
because of those slimmer majorities, that means
either Republicans sort of need to get their folks in
line or give them concessions, or they need to
bring Democrats to the plate. And the way to bring
Democrats to the plate is to kind of offer a more
palatable options to Democrats. And so, again, we
don't exactly know all that's going on between
closed doors, but that's a huge part of the dynamic
that's at play. >> Was really about less
than a minute left. How does a ruling out of the state
Supreme Court around Evers vetoes play into this budget
process? >> Yeah, I think that's been
a big part of the conversation, because
breakdown of trust again, between Democrats and
Republicans in terms of how the governor has used his
veto pen in the past. And so what that did was kind of
give a little bit more clarity to the use of his
veto pen. And so at the end of all of this process, we
will at some point get a budget to the governor's
desk. And now there's just some clarity on how he can
and can't use that. >> And do we expect that
budget to get to his desk next week?
>> You know, it takes a while to write a budget. So
even just that labor of that will take a little bit of
time. So I am not terribly optimistic in that sense,
but I'm not in the prediction making business.
really appreciate you joining us, Anya van
Wagtendonk Wagtendonk from Wisconsin Public Radio.
Thanks. >> Thank you.
>> Directly following U.S. Military strikes in Iran
this week, the Department of Homeland Security issued a
heightened threat. Environment bulletin warning
of low level cyber attacks by hackers affiliated with
the Iranian government. The military cannot comment on
force protection measures for U.S. Troops in the
region, but the Wisconsin National Guard does confirm
troops from this state are deployed in the Mideast in
response to the strikes against Iranian nuclear
program sites. Wisconsin U.S. Senators weighed in.
Democrat Tammy Baldwin saying, quote, diplomacy,
not war, is the answer. Here I stand with the people of
Wisconsin who do not want to get into another war in the
Middle East and put service members at risk. Baldwin
also introduced a bill to prohibit federal funds going
to military force in or against Iran without
congressional authorization. For his part, Republican
Senator Ron Johnson said, quote, the president has
been very clear we should not allow Iran to become a
nuclear power. I support President Trump's action in
this case on childhood vaccinations. Parents may be
wondering what's happening after every member of the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was
fired by DHHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. The new
committee, chosen by Kennedy, who is a vaccine
skeptic, met this week and announced a review of
immunization schedules and had some other changes. The
advisory committee makes recommendations to the CDC
on which immunization should be given and whether they
are covered by insurance. Amid this upset to
established vaccine guidance, a new project has
taken shape at the University of Minnesota
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
It's called the Vaccine Integrity Project. Doctor
Michael Osterholm is director of the center. He
joins us now. And thanks very much for being here.
>> Thank you for having me. >> So were there changes
made this week regarding immunizations that raise
alarm bells for physicians and others?
>> Well, in fact, there were several things that happened
at this two day meeting. One is, is that we were able to
count over 50 different instances where mis or
disinformation were shared, things that just simply
weren't true. And so that leaves people often confused
as to wait a minute, now what? What is the truth
about this? In addition to that, they took certain
actions and as a, for example, they voted on
removing thimerosal from influenza vaccine. Well, let
me just back up. Thimerosal is a type of preservative.
It's ethyl mercury, not methylmercury, which is the
methyl is the dangerous type. Ethyl is not. And what
it is used in multi-dose vials so that as a vial
might be used over a day to day and a half.
Contamination doesn't grow in it. After having inserted
the first needle into it. When in fact you look at
overall use of thimerosal, less than 6% of all
influenza vaccine doses have that. And as I pointed out
over the last 30 years, there's been ample, ample
evidence showing there is no safety issue with
thimerosal. But this has been a very favorite target
of the secretary over the years. He's actually written
about it. And so they voted to take thimerosal out of
the last remaining doses of influenza vaccine, leaving
people with the sense that somehow they improved the
safety of the vaccine. They did not. They did nothing.
But this will be heralded again as an example of the
administration basically protecting you as a citizen,
when in fact there is no truth to that at all. So
this is the challenge we have right now is just about
mis and disinformation and really making changes for
with vaccines that actually improve our health versus do
not. >> Is there a reason for
people to be skeptical of vaccines?
>> Absolutely not. Vaccines today are the safest they've
ever been. If you look at the number of vaccine doses
we have, yes, there are more of them. But because we've
improved vaccines over the years, the actual amount
that we call antigens, you get when you get vaccinated
is much lower now than it was in the 1970s. So even
people who have alleged that somehow kids are getting
vaccinated a lot more today, and therefore there could be
problems with that. It's actually not true. It's
actually today we're at some of the lowest numbers of
antigens being used in all the vaccines, and at the
same time, providing this incredible protection
against these. Oftentimes life threatening infections.
>> What does your vaccine integrity project set out to
do? >> Well, first of all, we
want to make certain that there is a source of
information that's reliable, that's scientifically sound,
and that people can count on. Right now. You can't
count on the CDC data or information to be factually
correct. There are many very talented, dedicated public
health workers at CDC who do an incredible job, but
they're not allowed to be part of this process. And in
that regard, that's a huge challenge, because it means
that others who have much less experience are going to
be making the kinds of presentations that then the
ACIp will vote on. At this point, all I can say is, is
that when you look at the overall body of science and
vaccinations, today, there's never been a time where
you've had more vaccines protect more lives against
serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths
versus the very minuscule risk of an adverse event
from a vaccine. And so what we're here to do is help
with is to provide a very detailed scientific review
of the vaccines with the latest, most current
information so that when the societies make their
recommendations are based on the most current science.
And that's what we're doing now, that will help
everyone. Because again, all of the different uses of
these vaccines from all these different professional
societies is obviously critical to overall better
health. And by having this information, we're hopeful
that payers will in fact agree that they can't
support the ACIp recommendations. That may be
compromised, but they can accept a body of science
that has very openly and with full disclosure,
demonstrated just how important these vaccines can
be. >> What does all this
disruption do in areas where uptake of vaccines is
already low? I mean, is confidence in vaccines
further eroded? >> That's the real problem
we have today is confidence in vaccines, because people
are getting so many different messages about
vaccines depending on who it is that's delivering them.
As I mentioned earlier, over 50 mistakes or
misinformation were shared at the ACIp meeting, which,
I mean, you go there to find the truth, to find the
scientific message that is factually based. If you have
this kind of situation where you can't count on it, you
don't know it. But the public hears that this came
from the centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
You're led to believe that, oh, this must be true. And
so this creates a really significant challenge for us
is to get the kind of information to the public
that they can trust and that they can understand how we
came about getting this information.
>> Because right now, measles is a real and
growing threat. How much does that concern you?
>> Oh, measles concerns me a great deal. I mean, when you
look at what's happened in this country where we're
reported cases, we believe there's more than that. But
look at Canada, where now they have over 3800 reported
cases of measles. Remember, Canada only has 40 million
people compared to our 330 million people. And so you
can see that that's just on our doorstep. And they have
the same problems with vaccine hesitancy and people
not willing to get vaccinated. And so over
time, I'm afraid that it's going to take us a really,
really unfortunate course of severe illness,
hospitalizations and deaths to help people understand
just how powerful these vaccines have been.
>> Doctor Michael Osterholm, thanks very much.
>> Thank you. >> The federal spending and
tax bills propose deep spending cuts to health
care, greatly impacting Wisconsin's tribal
communities. Here and now, reporter Eric Ayisi spoke
with Shannon Holsey, president of the
Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, about how
these proposed cuts could impact tribal clinics in the
state. She's here to describe that impact. Erica.
>> Fred. Tribal clinics like Stockbridge-Munsee Health
medical services to tribal members and community
members, but proposed spending cuts to Indian
health Services, Medicare and Medicaid would cut
across all Wisconsin tribes. This report is in
collaboration with ICT, formerly Indian Country.
Today. >> It's not just a budget,
it's a trust and treaty responsibility that, you
know, the United States has entered into with tribal
nations for what was taken and what was supposed to be
returned in the loss of our land.
>> Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee
Band of Mohican Indians, says the tribe's health and
wellness center is partly funded by the Indian Health
Service or IHS, a federal agency that provides tribal
medical services across country, including for
Wisconsin's 11 federally recognized tribes.
>> That is the unique relationship that exists and
the agreements that were entered into by the United
States and tribal nations. >> While the proposed $8
billion budget for IHS is an increase, Holsey says the
package lacks advanced appropriations that are
needed for funding predictability.
>> What one of the essential threats of this big,
they're going to strip the advanced appropriations, and
dysfunctional cycle. >> Funding the Tribes Health
Center is complex. >> It costs our nation about
16 million to operate it annually. Of that, it's
multifaceted in the resources that come. It's a
mix of both private insurance and Medicare.
>> 27% of the tribal clinic's funding comes from
Medicare and Medicaid, according to the
Congressional Budget Office. The proposed bill would
reduce federal Medicaid by $793 billion.
to our citizens as a sovereign nation, so it's
going to be up to our tribal government to come up with
that offset to meet the basic needs and demands.
>> What are some of the health concerns that tribal
members are facing in the community?
>> What we're seeing in our community is
disproportionate rates of people being diagnosed with
heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Alarming rates of
cancer. And as you can imagine, that is that will
tax your health care system. >> The bill also proposes
adding job requirements to Medicaid. Holsey says she's
concerned that Wisconsin's rural tribal communities
could disproportionately lose coverage because of
additional hurdles to accessing health care.
>> There hasn't been a well thought out plan in terms of
how that is accessed, but really what we're talking
about is a human rights issue.
>> Holsey says there's room for compromise in the
proposed federal spending and tax bill. But for her
access to health care for Wisconsin's 43,000 tribal
population is non-negotiable.
>> We also have a responsibility as tribal
nations to make sure the federal government upholds
our trust and treaty responsibility and robustly
engage and remind the United States government and others
that as sovereign nations, they have a responsibility
to tribal nations. >> Even as the wrangling
over the federal spending tax bill continues, one
provision of the Medicaid overhaul would eliminate the
opioid abatement program. That's a prevention program
addressing the opioid epidemic affecting native
communities across the state. Fred.
>> Thank you. Erica. In related news, it began as an
emergency response to the pandemic. But the tribal
Elder Food Box program has grown into a vital source of
nourishment and cultural pride for Wisconsin's Native
American elders. Now, with federal funds running out,
the program's future and the health of those who depend
on it faces new uncertainty. Here and now. Reporter Aditi
Debnath has the story. >> Whenever you eat an
indigenous foods that were culturally appropriate to
who you are, it actually speaks to your DNA. It
actually speaks to who you are as an individual.
>> The tribal Elder Food Box program, launched during the
Covid 19 pandemic to address food insecurity among Native
American elders in Wisconsin's tribes.
>> Our very first distribution here, I don't
even know if it was 2021, but we distributed 400 boxes
and I think an hour and a half. And so from there, the
program just keeps growing and growing.
>> The program provides elders healthy, culturally
relevant food from producers that use sustainable
practices. indigenous producers. Now
we're up to like 40 or 50 indigenous producers.
>> Today, dozens of indigenous farmers, food
makers and processors supply food for the boxes, creating
new markets for native farmers. Initially serving
just three tribal communities, the program
quickly expanded to reach every indigenous tribe in
Wisconsin. >> We're going all the way
from the top of Wisconsin, Bayfield, all the way down
to Milwaukee and down to Madison to Ho-Chunk.
>> Tara Roberts Turner is the manager of the Wisconsin
Food Hub Cooperative, a statewide organization that
helps local farmers sell and distribute their product.
>> It's definitely more difficult.
>> This year. The loss of federal funding for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Local Food Purchase
Assistance, or LRF ARPA, sent shockwaves throughout
the country, disrupting vast networks of producers,
distributors and recipients. The Food Hub, which provided
distribution for many food bank programs under ARPA,
found its infrastructure caving in.
>> We had a lot of Bakke calls from the tribal elder
runs, so we would go all the way up to Bayfield, and then
we would pick product up all the way back. Now we're left
bringing an empty truck all the way back.
>> The funding cuts have forced logistical changes,
increased costs and left trucks empty on return
trips, straining the entire operation. The challenges
extend beyond food delivery, impacting local economies
and farmers, including indigenous farmers.
>> It's been a great partnership to really grow
together over the past couple of years.
>> Isaiah Skenandore his beef farm in Seymour,
Wisconsin. He joined the program to supply beef and
chicken directly to tribal elders.
with that program was you product would go to the end
user, and so I was able to have all of our beef and
chickens that was purchased through that program. Under
contract, get sent to the elder Box program.
>> Skenandore, a member of the Oneida Nation, uses
regenerative farming techniques like rotational
grazing, which mimics natural grazing practices
and promotes healthier soils and livestock. He says the
program's focus on fresh, sustainable food is a major
shift from the past, when federally funded food boxes
known as tribal commodities, were often filled with
processed items like canned meats and powdered milk,
which were high in preservatives. For many
native families, these foods were a lifeline, but they
also contributed to health problems that still affect
native communities today. >> When I was a kid with my
grandma, I remember going and picking up the tribal
commodities, which is right down the road here, and
you'd get the government commodities, which would be
the flour and processed And it's led to a lot of the
epidemics we have, you know, throughout Indian country.
And to come full circle now and be able to provide high
quality protein and sustainable food source to
our elders, we take a lot of it really, you know, makes
makes you pretty proud. >> Indigenous people are one
and a half times more likely to develop diabetes, and up
to three times more likely to experience heart failure.
For elders like Kathy Hughes, the food boxes make
a difference. >> And I find when I don't
have stuff like that in my refrigerator, then I'm doing
the fast food. I'm doing a lot of sandwiches and, you
know, cold cuts, that kind of stuff. Not really healthy
for you. Versus the boxes I'm cooking and I'm getting
healthy stuff when I cook. >> Beyond physical health.
The program helps foster connection. Between
indigenous people and their culture. Marlon Skenandore
is an Oneida councilman who brought the food Box program
to his tribe. >> I ran a food pantry for
six years, and in the beginning, a majority of the
people that we seen was just single elders, 65 plus,
living off Social Security. They don't have enough to
pay their bills. And so if some of the items that you
would get in here are going to be expensive items, the
things that they wouldn't be able to afford, or they
would just walk by in the grocery store. So for us to
provide this nutritious, good, wholesome food to
them, I think is vital for their longevity in life and
being a part of this community. For the past two
years, the Tribal Elder Food Box program has received
funding from the state's biennial budget for 2026.
Governor Evers has asked the state legislature to approve
$2 for the program. The end of the federal ARPA program
leaves a $1.5 million gap in the program's budget come
2026. >> We've looked at
incorporation as a as a nonprofit and starting to
look for some of the philanthropic funding out
there. There are many who want to see us succeed and
thank God they're there. >> Gary Besaw, one of the
program's founders, says the funding challenges are
daunting, but the farmers say they need help.
>> They're coming forward and saying, we were
depending on that. Is there room? Do you need product?
If you can, that's going to help keep us, keep us going.
This will keep us from from going bankrupt.
>> The fate of the tribal Elder Food Box program will
signal not just the state's commitment to its native
communities, but also its vision for local food
systems, rural economies, and the dignity of its
elders. probably pleased.
we're not smart. The old people were smart. We just
parrot them. And people might think, these guys know
what they're doing. That's because we listen. We listen
to the old people. >> Reporting from Oneida.
I'm Aditi Debnath for "Here& Now".
>> For more on this and other issues facing
Wisconsin, visit our website at PBS Wisconsin. Org and
then click on the news tab. That's our program for
tonight. We won't be here next Friday. Here and now is
preempted for some national holiday programing. I'm
Frederica Freyberg. Have a good weekend and a great 4th
of July. [MUSIC]
>> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and