1 00:00:05,873 --> 00:00:09,510 >> The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original 2 00:00:09,576 --> 00:00:13,413 production. >> Tough times for soybean 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:18,185 farmers with no solution in sight. An update on dairy 4 00:00:18,252 --> 00:00:22,723 workers and ICE and our U.S. senators trade barbs 5 00:00:22,789 --> 00:00:25,192 and blame for the government shutdown. 6 00:00:25,259 --> 00:00:28,562 [MUSIC] I'm Frederica Freyberg 7 00:00:28,629 --> 00:00:31,465 tonight on "Here& Now". The government shutdown causes 8 00:00:31,532 --> 00:00:34,835 political chaos. New candidates enter the races 9 00:00:34,902 --> 00:00:38,405 for state Supreme Court and governor a Buffalo County 10 00:00:38,472 --> 00:00:41,575 farmer discusses how immigration laws leave 11 00:00:41,642 --> 00:00:45,646 dairy workers behind, and Zac Schultz reports on the 12 00:00:45,712 --> 00:00:49,149 dire situation facing soybean farmers in the 13 00:00:49,216 --> 00:00:53,287 state. It's "Here& Now" for October 3rd. 14 00:00:53,353 --> 00:00:56,823 >> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus 15 00:00:56,890 --> 00:01:01,562 Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin. 16 00:01:08,468 --> 00:01:11,872 >> The federal government shutdown likely rolls into 17 00:01:11,939 --> 00:01:16,109 next week after competing funding bills failed in the 18 00:01:16,176 --> 00:01:18,445 U.S. Senate Friday afternoon. Some 18,000 19 00:01:18,512 --> 00:01:21,648 federal employees in Wisconsin go without pay 20 00:01:21,715 --> 00:01:24,685 during a shutdown. Most essential services and 21 00:01:24,751 --> 00:01:28,455 benefit payments continue. The shutdown went into 22 00:01:28,522 --> 00:01:31,558 effect at midnight on October 1st, after the 23 00:01:31,625 --> 00:01:34,394 Senate failed to pass a short term funding bill, 24 00:01:34,461 --> 00:01:37,998 falling short of the 60 votes needed. All but two 25 00:01:38,065 --> 00:01:40,534 Democratic senators opposed the bill, including 26 00:01:40,601 --> 00:01:44,371 Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin. Democrats 27 00:01:44,438 --> 00:01:47,474 wanted an extension of expiring Affordable Care 28 00:01:47,541 --> 00:01:50,944 Act subsidies, and a reversal of about $1 29 00:01:51,011 --> 00:01:55,682 trillion in Medicaid cuts. Even as the shutdown 30 00:01:55,749 --> 00:01:58,552 started, Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senator Ron 31 00:01:58,619 --> 00:02:02,389 Johnson proposed a bill called Eliminate Shutdowns 32 00:02:02,456 --> 00:02:05,492 Act. He's here to explain. Senator, thanks for being 33 00:02:05,559 --> 00:02:07,361 here. >> Well, Frederica, how are 34 00:02:07,427 --> 00:02:10,664 you doing? >> Good. So you've had it 35 00:02:10,731 --> 00:02:13,634 with shutdowns. What does your bill do? 36 00:02:13,700 --> 00:02:16,770 >> Well, first of all, I will ask you. I think it's 37 00:02:16,837 --> 00:02:19,373 pretty obvious. You and your listeners. I mean, 38 00:02:19,439 --> 00:02:21,975 aren't you getting sick and tired of this? I've been 39 00:02:22,042 --> 00:02:24,511 sick and tired of this for a long time. And all it 40 00:02:24,578 --> 00:02:26,780 does is if you don't appropriate money for 41 00:02:26,847 --> 00:02:29,683 government prior to the beginning of the fiscal 42 00:02:29,750 --> 00:02:31,351 doesn't shut down, government doesn't shut 43 00:02:31,418 --> 00:02:33,353 down those departments, just establishes a rolling, 44 00:02:33,420 --> 00:02:36,924 14 day continuing appropriation. So then the 45 00:02:36,990 --> 00:02:39,593 appropriators have time to pass an appropriation bill. 46 00:02:39,660 --> 00:02:42,529 Again, it's just it's modeled really is modeled 47 00:02:42,596 --> 00:02:45,799 after what Wisconsin did in the 50s. They're the same 48 00:02:45,866 --> 00:02:49,903 thing. It doesn't decrease. It doesn't increase 49 00:02:49,970 --> 00:02:53,240 at last year's levels until you pass appropriation. I 50 00:02:53,307 --> 00:02:56,376 was disappointed that every Democrat voted against that 51 00:02:56,443 --> 00:03:00,347 when we voted on it Monday. But we also had 12 52 00:03:00,414 --> 00:03:02,850 appropriators. Republican appropriators vote against 53 00:03:02,916 --> 00:03:05,986 it because they said it would undercut the 54 00:03:06,053 --> 00:03:08,488 let me just describe that process. That's be undercut. 55 00:03:08,555 --> 00:03:12,926 I've been here 15 years. 15 appropriation cycles. That 56 00:03:12,993 --> 00:03:16,230 means 180 appropriation bills should have been 57 00:03:16,296 --> 00:03:18,732 passed before the end of the fiscal year on time. 58 00:03:18,799 --> 00:03:23,804 You know how many have been passed? Six. But that's a 59 00:03:23,871 --> 00:03:26,406 96.7% failure rate. That that's apparently what the 60 00:03:26,473 --> 00:03:29,877 Alleviate Shutdown Act would undermine or undercut. 61 00:03:29,943 --> 00:03:34,615 Again, it's absurd. I'm not. Listen, I would love to see 62 00:03:34,681 --> 00:03:37,551 an appropriation process work. It doesn't. It's 63 00:03:37,618 --> 00:03:40,888 obvious. It doesn't. So let's at a minimum, stop 64 00:03:40,954 --> 00:03:44,091 playing partisan politics with people's lives. I mean, 65 00:03:44,157 --> 00:03:48,262 this is highly disruptive there's no reason for it 66 00:03:48,328 --> 00:03:51,999 whatsoever. The House has passed a continuing 67 00:03:52,065 --> 00:03:53,300 resolution. All Democrats have to do is do the same 68 00:03:53,367 --> 00:03:56,503 thing to end the Schumer shutdown. 69 00:03:56,570 --> 00:03:58,472 >> So in this shutdown, again, as you've just 70 00:03:58,539 --> 00:04:01,775 expressed, you blame Democrats, but why not 71 00:04:01,842 --> 00:04:05,646 negotiate it out before it gets to this point? 72 00:04:05,712 --> 00:04:10,017 >> Well, that's what I try to do. Just let let's 73 00:04:10,083 --> 00:04:12,452 prevent this. Just pass the Eliminate Shutdowns Act and 74 00:04:12,519 --> 00:04:15,589 then we can negotiate whatever wants, whatever 75 00:04:15,656 --> 00:04:17,724 needs to be negotiated. Individual appropriation 76 00:04:17,791 --> 00:04:21,128 bills. You know, there is agreement on many things. 77 00:04:21,195 --> 00:04:24,665 For example, the Senate did pass what we call a minibus. 78 00:04:24,731 --> 00:04:27,201 The main part of that was Veterans affairs and 79 00:04:27,267 --> 00:04:29,736 military construction that passed the Senate. I'm not 80 00:04:29,803 --> 00:04:31,738 sure what happened in the House. We didn't conference 81 00:04:31,805 --> 00:04:34,741 those. It hasn't been signed into law, but there 82 00:04:34,808 --> 00:04:37,144 should be plenty of areas of agreement. The problem 83 00:04:37,211 --> 00:04:39,413 is, as dysfunctional as this seems. Frederica, this 84 00:04:39,479 --> 00:04:42,649 actually is a very well-honed process on the 85 00:04:42,716 --> 00:04:45,519 part of the uniparty where you don't pass 86 00:04:45,586 --> 00:04:48,522 appropriation bills, you put yourself into the 87 00:04:48,589 --> 00:04:52,860 shutdown mode. You create deadlines like right before 88 00:04:52,926 --> 00:04:55,696 Thanksgiving or right before Christmas. You know, 89 00:04:55,762 --> 00:04:57,564 members want to go home. The appropriators or 90 00:04:57,631 --> 00:05:02,703 leadership basically writes a 2000 page plus omnibus 91 00:05:02,769 --> 00:05:05,506 spending bill, drops it on her desk and say, vote for 92 00:05:05,572 --> 00:05:08,809 you can't go home. That's one of the reasons we've 93 00:05:08,876 --> 00:05:12,112 gone from 14 trillion to over $37 trillion in debt 94 00:05:12,179 --> 00:05:15,516 since I arrived here in Democrats are seeking, and 95 00:05:15,582 --> 00:05:18,785 that is an extension of the enhanced tax credits in the 96 00:05:18,852 --> 00:05:21,688 Affordable Care Act. You've long opposed the Affordable 97 00:05:21,755 --> 00:05:24,224 Care Act. I trust you would never vote in favor of 98 00:05:24,291 --> 00:05:27,561 extending those enhanced credits. 99 00:05:27,628 --> 00:05:29,563 >> Well, remember, these were temporary enhanced 100 00:05:29,630 --> 00:05:33,600 credits for the pandemic, but there's all kinds of 101 00:05:33,667 --> 00:05:36,570 pandemic relief funding that has expired that we're 102 00:05:36,637 --> 00:05:40,841 not continuing. Why do we continue these? 103 00:05:40,908 --> 00:05:44,912 you see Republicans backing down on any of the 104 00:05:44,978 --> 00:05:46,547 provisions in the big, beautiful bill, including 105 00:05:46,613 --> 00:05:49,583 additional requirements around eligibility that 106 00:05:49,650 --> 00:05:53,620 critics argue would result in people losing coverage? 107 00:05:53,687 --> 00:05:58,659 >> Well, first of all, what we did was actually minimal. 108 00:05:58,725 --> 00:06:00,661 We're not cutting Medicaid funding we're trying to do 109 00:06:00,727 --> 00:06:03,564 is eliminate the fraud. We're trying to eliminate 110 00:06:03,630 --> 00:06:05,599 Medicaid being used by people in this country 111 00:06:05,666 --> 00:06:08,836 illegally. Quite honestly, we didn't go far enough. 112 00:06:08,902 --> 00:06:11,972 >> What is your response to President Trump seeming to 113 00:06:12,039 --> 00:06:16,210 use the shutdown as a predicate to put to cut 114 00:06:16,276 --> 00:06:19,446 agency budgets and personnel? 115 00:06:19,513 --> 00:06:22,549 >> Well, first of all, in the private sector, when 116 00:06:22,616 --> 00:06:24,785 your company goes bankrupt, you know, unfortunately 117 00:06:24,852 --> 00:06:27,554 people lose their jobs and they have to go find 118 00:06:27,621 --> 00:06:30,290 employment elsewhere. You know, except for the fact 119 00:06:30,357 --> 00:06:33,994 that the federal government our labors and taxation. 120 00:06:34,061 --> 00:06:36,763 This will bankrupt entity. And so I don't see why 121 00:06:36,830 --> 00:06:39,633 public service, public sector employees should be 122 00:06:39,700 --> 00:06:41,735 immune to what we all have to experience in the 123 00:06:41,802 --> 00:06:44,004 private sector. It's unfortunate. It doesn't 124 00:06:44,071 --> 00:06:46,573 have to be. Again, Democrats could end this 125 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:49,843 today in about an hour when we vote on the House 126 00:06:49,910 --> 00:06:53,680 continuing resolution, we could reopen government. So 127 00:06:53,747 --> 00:06:56,617 there's no sense them wailing about the fact that 128 00:06:56,683 --> 00:06:59,453 maybe President Trump will utilize this opportunity to 129 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:01,622 shrink down the size of government, which by and 130 00:07:01,688 --> 00:07:04,958 large, I'd be all for. I mean, the federal 131 00:07:05,025 --> 00:07:08,428 government is massive. Spent $7 trillion this year, 132 00:07:08,495 --> 00:07:11,899 2019, before the pandemic. We're spending 4.4 $37 133 00:07:11,965 --> 00:07:15,302 trillion in debt. You got sometime. 134 00:07:16,036 --> 00:07:20,274 >> We leave it there. very much, Vigue. For her 135 00:07:22,476 --> 00:07:25,078 part, Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin was 136 00:07:25,145 --> 00:07:28,715 expected to join us, but her office told us the 137 00:07:28,782 --> 00:07:31,652 senator had a last minute scheduling change. Earlier, 138 00:07:31,718 --> 00:07:34,755 she said, quote, Republicans who control the 139 00:07:34,821 --> 00:07:37,424 white House, the Senate and the House have not only 140 00:07:37,491 --> 00:07:39,660 refused to listen to families who need some 141 00:07:39,726 --> 00:07:42,896 breathing room, but they also have abandoned working 142 00:07:42,963 --> 00:07:47,668 with Democrats to do right by the American people. In 143 00:07:47,734 --> 00:07:51,438 agriculture. Market news, soybeans are trading at 144 00:07:51,505 --> 00:07:55,042 $10.26 a bushel today, according to Wisconsin 145 00:07:55,108 --> 00:07:57,945 farmers. At that price, they're losing money. Here 146 00:07:58,011 --> 00:08:00,814 and now, senior political reporter Zac Schultz tells 147 00:08:00,881 --> 00:08:04,918 us this is the fallout from the Trump administration's 148 00:08:04,985 --> 00:08:08,288 tariffs on China, putting Wisconsin farmers in the 149 00:08:08,355 --> 00:08:11,825 middle of an international trade war. 150 00:08:11,892 --> 00:08:14,761 >> Combines are rolling all across Wisconsin, bringing 151 00:08:14,828 --> 00:08:17,798 in what looks to be a good soybean harvest. 152 00:08:17,865 --> 00:08:21,268 >> I think it's going to be a real good year for us on 153 00:08:21,335 --> 00:08:24,838 our yields. of the Wisconsin Soybean 154 00:08:24,905 --> 00:08:27,708 Association. Along with his brothers. He farms 4200 155 00:08:27,774 --> 00:08:31,612 acres of corn and soybeans in Rock County. And while 156 00:08:31,678 --> 00:08:34,448 his bushels per acre look good, the price per bushel 157 00:08:34,515 --> 00:08:36,950 has crashed over the last two years. 158 00:08:37,017 --> 00:08:40,921 >> The prices that were being offered right now 159 00:08:40,988 --> 00:08:43,490 aren't covering the cost that it costs us to put it 160 00:08:43,557 --> 00:08:46,360 in the ground. >> The decline in soybean 161 00:08:46,426 --> 00:08:49,863 markets started last year, but it bottomed out this 162 00:08:49,930 --> 00:08:52,499 spring after Donald Trump announced tariffs on China, 163 00:08:52,566 --> 00:08:55,502 and China retaliated by refusing to buy U.S. 164 00:08:55,569 --> 00:08:59,072 soybeans. >> Historically, China has 165 00:08:59,139 --> 00:09:04,111 bought more soybeans from the US than the rest of the 166 00:09:04,178 --> 00:09:07,581 world combined. And so when China doesn't buy from us, 167 00:09:07,648 --> 00:09:12,219 that's a huge impact to us. >> Reboots semi holds a 168 00:09:13,153 --> 00:09:15,589 thousand bushels of beans, and the minute he drives it 169 00:09:15,656 --> 00:09:17,858 off the field, those beans have now entered the 170 00:09:17,925 --> 00:09:20,661 international market, competing with growers in 171 00:09:20,727 --> 00:09:23,430 Argentina and Brazil. >> They're growing more and 172 00:09:23,497 --> 00:09:27,267 more soybeans every year. They're clearing 173 00:09:27,334 --> 00:09:30,137 able to provide that to China. 174 00:09:32,806 --> 00:09:36,310 marketplace. Our beans are cheaper than Brazil's. So 175 00:09:36,376 --> 00:09:40,347 in the absence of tariffs, we're ultra competitive. 176 00:09:40,414 --> 00:09:44,618 >> Andy Benson farms 3800 acres in Barron County. He 177 00:09:44,685 --> 00:09:48,088 says most farmers don't have capacity to store 178 00:09:48,155 --> 00:09:50,791 soybeans on the farm and have few options in this 179 00:09:50,858 --> 00:09:53,660 environment. >> Those farmers are going 180 00:09:53,727 --> 00:09:55,629 to harvest the beans. They're going to load them 181 00:09:55,696 --> 00:09:58,498 in the truck. If they have a bin, they're going to put 182 00:09:58,565 --> 00:10:00,868 them in. If they don't, they're going to take them 183 00:10:00,934 --> 00:10:03,637 to the elevator. And when they get to the elevator, 184 00:10:03,704 --> 00:10:06,607 they have a couple choices. Take what's offered or put 185 00:10:06,673 --> 00:10:09,776 them in the commercial storage and begin to pay a 186 00:10:09,843 --> 00:10:12,513 storage premium, which is so much a month. 187 00:10:12,579 --> 00:10:15,549 >> But there's no guarantee prices will be higher next 188 00:10:15,616 --> 00:10:18,519 spring. Benson says there's a very narrow window for 189 00:10:18,585 --> 00:10:22,389 the Trump administration to fix this trade war. 190 00:10:22,456 --> 00:10:25,125 >> We're running out of time. Brazil's planting 191 00:10:25,192 --> 00:10:28,095 their beans. They'll be ready for harvest next 192 00:10:28,161 --> 00:10:32,599 winter. And when they start making a new crop, if we 193 00:10:32,666 --> 00:10:35,402 don't have ours marketed, guess what? We're going to 194 00:10:35,469 --> 00:10:38,772 have a lot of beans. >> Ribaut says farmers that 195 00:10:38,839 --> 00:10:40,641 were already overleveraged will likely go under. 196 00:10:40,707 --> 00:10:43,677 >> Some farmers are going to go under. There are some 197 00:10:43,744 --> 00:10:47,481 farms that you know are not going to be able to make, 198 00:10:47,548 --> 00:10:50,751 and that's very sad. >> Benson serves on the 199 00:10:50,817 --> 00:10:54,288 Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. 200 00:10:54,354 --> 00:10:58,625 other markets. And I think the biofuels thing is, is a 201 00:10:58,692 --> 00:11:02,396 perfect example of that. >> The federal government 202 00:11:02,462 --> 00:11:05,666 sets the amount of biofuels the nation's fuel mix, and 203 00:11:05,732 --> 00:11:08,869 an increase could create domestic demand for 204 00:11:08,936 --> 00:11:11,538 soybeans. That would lead to a new soybean crushing 205 00:11:11,605 --> 00:11:15,342 facility being built in. Evansville has already 206 00:11:15,409 --> 00:11:18,912 purchased land and has permitting in place to 207 00:11:18,979 --> 00:11:22,883 build an $800 million facility that could process 208 00:11:22,950 --> 00:11:24,418 70 million bushels of soybeans a year for their 209 00:11:24,484 --> 00:11:27,154 oil. here that would help our 210 00:11:28,822 --> 00:11:31,625 prices, because all those transportation costs are 211 00:11:31,692 --> 00:11:34,728 will a lot of them would be eliminated. 212 00:11:34,795 --> 00:11:36,864 >> Jason Sargeant is the Evansville city 213 00:11:36,930 --> 00:11:39,766 administrator. He says they have a signed contract with 214 00:11:39,833 --> 00:11:42,402 chess to start construction next summer. They're just 215 00:11:42,469 --> 00:11:46,406 waiting for chess to confirm it will happen. 216 00:11:46,473 --> 00:11:49,710 >> We have those dates in our contract, and they're 217 00:11:49,776 --> 00:11:52,579 just obligated to kind of tell us when they've gotten 218 00:11:52,646 --> 00:11:55,482 to that next milestone post. >> In a statement, a 219 00:11:55,549 --> 00:11:58,852 spokesperson said chess is further analyzing the 220 00:11:58,919 --> 00:12:01,455 market and biofuel policies to make sure the right 221 00:12:01,522 --> 00:12:04,658 mechanisms are in place to support executing further 222 00:12:04,725 --> 00:12:08,662 on the investment. Even if chess goes forward, the 223 00:12:08,729 --> 00:12:12,966 plant wouldn't come online for a few years, leaving 224 00:12:13,033 --> 00:12:15,002 Wisconsin farmers with 100 million bushels of beans 225 00:12:15,068 --> 00:12:17,604 this fall and no good place to sell them. 226 00:12:17,671 --> 00:12:21,074 >> You know, you leave your farm to your children, and 227 00:12:21,141 --> 00:12:24,344 before I came along, they'd go out. They'd have to 228 00:12:24,411 --> 00:12:26,580 borrow money. >> Even though Trump 229 00:12:26,647 --> 00:12:28,615 started this trade war, Benson did rebound. Aren't 230 00:12:28,682 --> 00:12:32,719 sure if this will change how farmers think about him. 231 00:12:32,786 --> 00:12:37,324 >> By and large, Trump is a free market person. However, 232 00:12:37,391 --> 00:12:39,660 he's become a little bit protectionist with this 233 00:12:39,726 --> 00:12:44,064 this tariff approach. And I think I think we're 234 00:12:44,731 --> 00:12:47,668 concerned I think we're very concerned because it's 235 00:12:47,734 --> 00:12:51,672 affecting our livelihoods. >> You go talk to farmers. 236 00:12:51,738 --> 00:12:54,908 There are some farmers that love him, some farmers that 237 00:12:54,975 --> 00:12:57,544 hate him, some farmers that are a little less 238 00:12:57,611 --> 00:13:00,547 optimistic. Now. >> Combining soybeans is a 239 00:13:00,614 --> 00:13:03,917 dusty business. But when the dust settles from this 240 00:13:03,984 --> 00:13:06,787 harvest, Wisconsin farmers will be on the losing end 241 00:13:06,854 --> 00:13:10,824 of an international trade war, and the impact will be 242 00:13:10,891 --> 00:13:13,694 felt all across the state. >> So to think that it's 243 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,698 just the farmers problem is shortsighted. Agriculture 244 00:13:17,764 --> 00:13:20,400 is still the basis of our economy in so many ways, 245 00:13:20,467 --> 00:13:23,637 especially here in Wisconsin. 246 00:13:23,704 --> 00:13:26,807 us, it's impacting our local communities. Because 247 00:13:26,874 --> 00:13:29,643 like I said, when we have those bad years and we're 248 00:13:29,710 --> 00:13:33,413 not spending that money, that the local businesses 249 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:37,851 aren't getting the money. >> Reporting from Rock 250 00:13:37,918 --> 00:13:41,688 County. I'm Zac Schultz for "Here& Now". 251 00:13:41,755 --> 00:13:44,525 >> This week, the US Immigration and Customs 252 00:13:44,591 --> 00:13:47,895 Enforcement Agency confirmed the arrest of 24 253 00:13:47,961 --> 00:13:51,465 undocumented immigrants in Manitowoc County, one of 254 00:13:51,532 --> 00:13:53,767 whom was arrested for sexual assault of a child 255 00:13:53,834 --> 00:13:56,670 in May, according to authorities. A few others 256 00:13:56,737 --> 00:13:59,673 have convictions for traffic offenses, including 257 00:13:59,740 --> 00:14:02,743 drunk driving and equipment, immigrant 258 00:14:02,809 --> 00:14:05,546 advocates said some of those detained were dairy 259 00:14:05,612 --> 00:14:09,550 workers swept up in the raid. Is ice coming for 260 00:14:09,616 --> 00:14:12,886 immigrant farm workers who supply upwards of 80% of 261 00:14:12,953 --> 00:14:16,089 the labor milking cows on Wisconsin dairy farms, we 262 00:14:16,156 --> 00:14:19,560 turn to longtime dairy farmer, who employs workers 263 00:14:19,626 --> 00:14:22,596 from Mexico on his western Wisconsin operation. John 264 00:14:22,663 --> 00:14:25,799 Rosenow, who joins us from Buffalo County. And thanks 265 00:14:25,866 --> 00:14:29,703 very much for being here. >> Glad to be here. 266 00:14:29,770 --> 00:14:32,206 >> So have you seen or heard about immigration 267 00:14:32,272 --> 00:14:35,609 enforcement on farms in Wisconsin? 268 00:14:36,343 --> 00:14:40,447 >> No. So far there hasn't been any. And knock on wood, 269 00:14:40,514 --> 00:14:43,016 there's been one in Vermont and one in New Mexico in 270 00:14:43,083 --> 00:14:45,586 the United States since the election. 271 00:14:45,652 --> 00:14:49,423 >> How dependent on immigrant labor are 272 00:14:49,489 --> 00:14:53,961 Wisconsin dairy farms? >> Any farm that employs 273 00:14:56,063 --> 00:15:00,667 anybody is going to have immigrants, any dairy farm. 274 00:15:00,734 --> 00:15:05,405 And we estimate I sat down with a CEO of a large dairy 275 00:15:06,673 --> 00:15:09,843 co-op a number of years ago, and at that point we 276 00:15:09,910 --> 00:15:12,846 determined based on everything that we know, 277 00:15:12,913 --> 00:15:15,449 that at least 80% and I would guess 90% of the milk 278 00:15:15,516 --> 00:15:19,086 harvested every day in Wisconsin is harvested by 279 00:15:19,152 --> 00:15:22,222 immigrants. >> And so are these workers 280 00:15:22,289 --> 00:15:25,959 in the US legally. >> Well, there is no no 281 00:15:28,061 --> 00:15:32,566 visa available for immigrants to get to work 282 00:15:32,633 --> 00:15:37,104 on dairy farms. The H-2a visas for for short term 283 00:15:38,472 --> 00:15:42,976 employment ten months and dairy is 24 hours a day, 284 00:15:43,043 --> 00:15:47,114 seven days a week, 365 days a year. So there is no 285 00:15:47,181 --> 00:15:49,983 legal way for them to get here. 286 00:15:51,018 --> 00:15:54,421 >> And so the answer would be that most of these 287 00:15:54,488 --> 00:15:57,558 people are not legally in the US. 288 00:15:57,624 --> 00:16:01,862 >> That would be my guess. What each employer has to 289 00:16:01,929 --> 00:16:05,299 do, whether you're dairy farmer or you're a steel 290 00:16:05,365 --> 00:16:08,502 mill, is you have to fill out an I-9 and a W-4 within 291 00:16:08,569 --> 00:16:12,506 three days of employment. And you look at the 292 00:16:12,573 --> 00:16:14,808 documents and if you're a reasonable person, 293 00:16:14,875 --> 00:16:18,478 according to the directions from the IRS, if if you 294 00:16:18,545 --> 00:16:21,915 look at the documents and they appear genuine, you 295 00:16:21,982 --> 00:16:25,786 accept them. And that's what we do. And all of our 296 00:16:25,853 --> 00:16:29,857 employees have green cards. >> So the latest version of 297 00:16:29,923 --> 00:16:34,161 the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2025 298 00:16:34,728 --> 00:16:39,433 would make those H-2a visas year round and allow for a 299 00:16:39,499 --> 00:16:43,570 path to permanent residency for dairy workers. What do 300 00:16:43,637 --> 00:16:46,306 you think about this legislation and where might 301 00:16:46,373 --> 00:16:49,576 that go? >> Well, it's not going to 302 00:16:49,643 --> 00:16:53,380 go anywhere because none of them do. And we've had 303 00:16:53,447 --> 00:16:55,616 probably for the last 25 years that I've been 304 00:16:55,682 --> 00:16:58,418 involved in this. I think every year somebody 305 00:16:58,485 --> 00:17:02,856 introduces something and of the time it's political 306 00:17:02,923 --> 00:17:05,492 posturing. People introduce a bill and then they tell 307 00:17:05,559 --> 00:17:07,761 their constituents that they're doing something 308 00:17:07,828 --> 00:17:10,831 about it, but it never gets out of committee. Nobody 309 00:17:10,898 --> 00:17:15,135 wants to touch it. And so I have no hope. Like I told 310 00:17:15,202 --> 00:17:18,172 somebody, I think it'd be better off rather than 311 00:17:18,238 --> 00:17:21,542 reading the bill. It'd be walked my dog. 312 00:17:21,608 --> 00:17:24,545 >> So you're cynical about this. And in the meantime, 313 00:17:24,611 --> 00:17:27,748 dairy farmers need to do the work. 314 00:17:28,782 --> 00:17:31,718 >> We have to get those cows milked every day. I've 315 00:17:31,785 --> 00:17:34,755 been to Washington and I've talked to the Republicans 316 00:17:34,821 --> 00:17:37,724 and Republicans say as soon as we get the border secure, 317 00:17:37,791 --> 00:17:39,960 then we'll do something and then talk to the Democrats 318 00:17:40,027 --> 00:17:42,829 and they say, well, we got no power, so I can't do 319 00:17:42,896 --> 00:17:45,999 anything. And meantime, we have to get the cows milked. 320 00:17:46,066 --> 00:17:48,502 And that's what farmers do. If the if Congress isn't 321 00:17:48,569 --> 00:17:51,705 going to do their work, we still have to milk the cows. 322 00:17:51,772 --> 00:17:54,474 We still have to produce the milk. We still have to 323 00:17:54,541 --> 00:17:57,177 deliver calves. We can't just sit and wait for some 324 00:17:57,244 --> 00:18:00,881 political posturing and reelection things and 325 00:18:00,948 --> 00:18:04,685 everything else. So we get things done, and that's 326 00:18:04,751 --> 00:18:08,055 what we need to do. >> What are your own 13 327 00:18:08,121 --> 00:18:11,291 immigrant workers saying? In the midst of the current 328 00:18:11,358 --> 00:18:14,194 climate on immigration enforcement? 329 00:18:14,261 --> 00:18:17,898 >> When the current president was elected last 330 00:18:17,965 --> 00:18:20,400 time, there was a lot more concern and not a lot 331 00:18:20,467 --> 00:18:25,472 happened to them or their friends or neighbors or 332 00:18:25,539 --> 00:18:30,511 people they knew. So this time they're going with, 333 00:18:30,577 --> 00:18:33,113 it's going to be the same as last time. So they're 334 00:18:33,180 --> 00:18:36,517 probably less concerned last time. 335 00:18:38,452 --> 00:18:41,722 even in the midst of this kind of heightened ICE 336 00:18:41,788 --> 00:18:45,192 activity, that there is a recognition that farmers, 337 00:18:45,259 --> 00:18:49,029 particularly dairy farmers, need this labor? 338 00:18:49,096 --> 00:18:54,101 >> Yes, I, I've involved in a few calls with leadership 339 00:18:55,669 --> 00:18:59,806 in the administration conference calls, and what 340 00:18:59,873 --> 00:19:03,477 I can gather from that is that there are two factions. 341 00:19:03,544 --> 00:19:07,581 One faction led by Steven Miller thinks all 342 00:19:07,648 --> 00:19:09,550 immigrants are bad, doesn't make any difference who or 343 00:19:09,616 --> 00:19:12,953 where you are. They all got to go. And then the other 344 00:19:13,020 --> 00:19:15,656 side is people from like Secretary of Agriculture, 345 00:19:15,722 --> 00:19:18,525 Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Homeland 346 00:19:18,592 --> 00:19:20,761 Security are on the other side, that there are 347 00:19:20,827 --> 00:19:23,497 immigrants that are really helping the country. And I 348 00:19:23,564 --> 00:19:27,267 think this is the battle that's happening within the 349 00:19:27,334 --> 00:19:31,271 administration. I hope common sense prevails. 350 00:19:31,338 --> 00:19:34,675 >> We leave it there. John Rosenow, thanks very much. 351 00:19:34,741 --> 00:19:37,978 >> Thank you. >> In the 2026 race for 352 00:19:40,214 --> 00:19:42,583 governor, Democrat Missy Hughes announced her run 353 00:19:42,649 --> 00:19:46,587 this week. Hughes was most recently the CEO of the 354 00:19:46,653 --> 00:19:49,623 Wisconsin Economic She joins six other 355 00:19:49,690 --> 00:19:52,693 Democrats and two Republicans lining up in 356 00:19:52,759 --> 00:19:56,363 the primary election, and a conservative candidate 357 00:19:56,430 --> 00:19:59,199 entered the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court 358 00:19:59,266 --> 00:20:01,702 this week. A state appeals court judge, Maria Lazar, 359 00:20:01,768 --> 00:20:04,438 is running to replace Justice Rebecca Bradley, 360 00:20:04,505 --> 00:20:08,308 who chose not to run for reelection. She will face 361 00:20:08,375 --> 00:20:11,078 Liberal appeals court Judge Chris Taylor. The court 362 00:20:11,144 --> 00:20:15,582 currently has a 4 to 3 Liberal majority. The world 363 00:20:15,649 --> 00:20:19,453 is an increasingly scary place. Political 364 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:21,588 assassinations, mass shootings at schools, 365 00:20:21,655 --> 00:20:24,491 churches and on the street. Even though some of the 366 00:20:24,558 --> 00:20:28,061 violence is close to home, the sense is it won't 367 00:20:28,128 --> 00:20:30,998 happen to me. But that's what survivors often say. 368 00:20:31,064 --> 00:20:34,301 And how are people to make their way in the face of it? 369 00:20:34,368 --> 00:20:37,771 We ask Sidney Timmer-Murillo, assistant 370 00:20:37,838 --> 00:20:40,340 professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and 371 00:20:40,407 --> 00:20:44,178 psychologist treating trauma and traumatic injury. 372 00:20:44,244 --> 00:20:46,713 And thanks for being here. >> Thank you. 373 00:20:46,780 --> 00:20:49,616 >> So is there such a thing as collective trauma, where 374 00:20:49,683 --> 00:20:52,186 people generally feel a sense of foreboding in the 375 00:20:52,252 --> 00:20:56,056 current climate? >> Yeah, absolutely. I 376 00:20:56,924 --> 00:20:59,960 think especially with the frequency that we're seeing 377 00:21:00,027 --> 00:21:04,097 violence and such highly broadcasted events of 378 00:21:04,164 --> 00:21:09,102 violence, we can absolutely, as humans feel the weight 379 00:21:09,169 --> 00:21:13,740 of so much profound trauma. >> So watching the the 380 00:21:15,108 --> 00:21:19,479 deadly mayhem of the fire and church shooting in 381 00:21:19,546 --> 00:21:23,851 Michigan was so much. And then it's on endless loop 382 00:21:23,917 --> 00:21:27,154 in social media. How much does that endless loop wear 383 00:21:27,221 --> 00:21:30,457 on people? >> Yeah, we know that the 384 00:21:31,658 --> 00:21:35,762 frequency of how much you see trauma or experience 385 00:21:35,829 --> 00:21:39,933 trauma, so that repetition of violence really can 386 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:44,705 impact somebody quite significantly. And it's 387 00:21:44,771 --> 00:21:49,109 normal for them to then start to experience anxiety 388 00:21:49,176 --> 00:21:52,880 or fear or really a threat to their sense of safety. 389 00:21:52,946 --> 00:21:54,548 Even if it wasn't you who experienced the violence 390 00:21:54,615 --> 00:21:57,518 per se. >> How injurious is this 391 00:21:59,319 --> 00:22:01,788 exposure in people's day to day lives, perhaps 392 00:22:01,855 --> 00:22:06,226 especially children and young adults, things they 393 00:22:06,293 --> 00:22:09,196 >> Yeah. >> So, you know, everybody 394 00:22:09,263 --> 00:22:11,632 is different. We can see a range of different 395 00:22:11,698 --> 00:22:14,968 reactions from an understandable spike in 396 00:22:15,035 --> 00:22:17,804 your emotion when you first see that violent event, but 397 00:22:17,871 --> 00:22:21,975 it can grow and really build a cascade into mental 398 00:22:22,042 --> 00:22:26,580 health concerns or mental health diagnoses. And so an 399 00:22:26,647 --> 00:22:29,516 individual, you know, especially kids and 400 00:22:29,583 --> 00:22:32,386 children and adults, when they're trying to make 401 00:22:32,452 --> 00:22:35,222 sense of it, it can really start to shape your 402 00:22:35,289 --> 00:22:38,592 worldview. And whether or not you feel safe operating 403 00:22:38,659 --> 00:22:41,461 in the world. So maybe you start to avoid certain 404 00:22:41,528 --> 00:22:44,531 things that used to be normal for you. It might be 405 00:22:44,598 --> 00:22:47,634 difficult for you to go to work or go to school. 406 00:22:47,701 --> 00:22:51,638 >> And so the shock of assassinations and school 407 00:22:51,705 --> 00:22:55,609 shootings is is obviously so deeply disturbing. 408 00:22:55,676 --> 00:22:59,546 Should people not directly involved sit with that or 409 00:22:59,613 --> 00:23:03,283 move along? >> Yeah, we would encourage 410 00:23:04,484 --> 00:23:06,887 that. You know, you can't necessarily always escape 411 00:23:06,954 --> 00:23:10,691 the bad things happening in life or, or media and you 412 00:23:10,757 --> 00:23:13,694 want to be informed, but it's definitely important 413 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:16,363 to take breaks. I would argue that, you know, 414 00:23:16,430 --> 00:23:18,832 taking those social media breaks and really making 415 00:23:18,899 --> 00:23:22,769 sure you're engaged with your day to day life, your 416 00:23:22,836 --> 00:23:26,106 loved ones and family can really keep you grounded 417 00:23:26,173 --> 00:23:29,710 when navigating so much tension in this world. 418 00:23:29,776 --> 00:23:33,080 >> How does trauma affect people who have experienced 419 00:23:33,146 --> 00:23:35,616 it? >> What we know from the 420 00:23:35,949 --> 00:23:39,319 research is that if you have a history of trauma 421 00:23:39,386 --> 00:23:42,656 that puts you at greater risk of developing 422 00:23:42,723 --> 00:23:45,526 psychopathology after any subsequent types of trauma. 423 00:23:45,592 --> 00:23:49,730 And so if you, let's say, even we're in like a motor 424 00:23:49,796 --> 00:23:53,333 vehicle collision, and then now you're dealing with new 425 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,570 exposures to violence, it does tend to put you at a 426 00:23:56,637 --> 00:23:58,372 greater risk. Or it's something that I would be 427 00:23:58,438 --> 00:24:00,741 looking out for when I'm trying to help treat 428 00:24:00,807 --> 00:24:03,977 somebody for, let's say, post-traumatic stress 429 00:24:04,044 --> 00:24:07,414 disorder or depression. >> So it really. 430 00:24:07,481 --> 00:24:11,952 >> In what feels like a violent world and is is the 431 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:17,157 practice of trauma treatment a growing field? 432 00:24:17,224 --> 00:24:21,495 >> Absolutely. Yeah. I think, you know, a majority 433 00:24:21,562 --> 00:24:24,364 of people will experience at least one trauma in 434 00:24:24,431 --> 00:24:27,501 their lifetime. But we know that a lot of people can 435 00:24:27,568 --> 00:24:29,670 are at risk for more than just one traumatic 436 00:24:29,736 --> 00:24:32,606 experience, or they live in communities with high rates 437 00:24:32,673 --> 00:24:36,977 of violence. And so because of that, you know, I think 438 00:24:37,044 --> 00:24:38,512 mental health providers really do need to be 439 00:24:38,579 --> 00:24:42,049 prepared for addressing trauma in whatever they're 440 00:24:42,115 --> 00:24:45,519 doing with their patients. But we are definitely 441 00:24:45,586 --> 00:24:47,421 growing in terms of specializations as well, 442 00:24:47,487 --> 00:24:51,525 that we need these providers to really be able 443 00:24:51,592 --> 00:24:56,296 to hone in on the root of somebody's trauma reactions, 444 00:24:56,363 --> 00:25:00,334 and that tends to need some pretty specialized 445 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:03,470 treatment to to be able to do that effectively. 446 00:25:03,537 --> 00:25:07,908 >> What makes someone resilient to trauma? 447 00:25:07,975 --> 00:25:10,777 >> Yeah. You know, I think it is 448 00:25:11,812 --> 00:25:14,548 important to remember that there is resilience in the 449 00:25:14,615 --> 00:25:17,851 face of trauma. And there are so many things that can 450 00:25:17,918 --> 00:25:20,888 contribute to that. There can be individual factors. 451 00:25:20,954 --> 00:25:24,391 So how you regulate your emotions in the face of 452 00:25:24,458 --> 00:25:28,295 fear and threat to your safety. But I also think 453 00:25:28,362 --> 00:25:31,098 social support is such a profoundly important 454 00:25:31,164 --> 00:25:34,668 resilience factor, really connecting to your loved 455 00:25:34,735 --> 00:25:37,604 ones. When you have been exposed to violence, it's 456 00:25:37,671 --> 00:25:41,441 so critical for trying to move forward and cope with 457 00:25:41,508 --> 00:25:45,245 the reactions. >> All right. Well, thank 458 00:25:45,312 --> 00:25:48,549 you so much for your information. For more on 459 00:25:48,615 --> 00:25:50,517 this and other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our 460 00:25:50,584 --> 00:25:54,421 website at PBS Wisconsin and then click on the news 461 00:25:54,488 --> 00:25:57,491 tab. That's our program for tonight I'm Frederica 462 00:25:57,558 --> 00:26:00,460 Freyberg. Have a good weekend. 463 00:26:45,239 --> 00:26:46,006 >> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus 464 00:26:46,073 --> 00:26:49,376 is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and 465 00:26:49,443 --> 00:26:51,912 Friends of PBS Wisconsin.