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This week, there have been dizzying

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developments in the war with Iran.

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Midweek, the US called the war

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concluded, moving instead

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to Project Freedom to

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open the Strait of Hormuz.

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But President Trump quickly quit

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Project Freedom.

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Now both sides are considering a

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peace plan in the midst of an uneasy

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ceasefire.

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How to make sense of this, even as

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the price of oil goes up and

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down with mixed messaging,

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while the price at the pump stays

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high.

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Democratic U.S.

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Senator Tammy Baldwin is here, and

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thanks very much for being here.

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Thank you for having me.

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So with all that's happening, what

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in your mind is the best outcome?

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The best outcome would be for the

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war to come to a quick end

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and to use diplomacy

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to settle the issues.

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I always have to remind folks

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that in 2015,

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there was an international

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agreement that

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would have prevented Iran

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from developing a nuclear weapon.

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There were intrusive inspections,

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and Donald Trump in his first

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term as president ripped

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get up.

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I think we may end up

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in this conflict with

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a deal that's less

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robust than the one that was

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agreed to in 2015.

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Look, diplomacy is the answer,

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and instead, Donald

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Trump has brought us into

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a war of choice.

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And I emphasize that

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point because we were not under

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attack from Iran.

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We were not in imminent threat of

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attack. And in those

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circumstances...

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The president needs to come to

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Congress to authorize use of

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military force.

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He didn't.

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So now we have 13 service

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members dead.

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We have hundreds more injured,

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some very seriously.

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And we see these

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price shocks with gasoline,

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with fertilizer for our farmers

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that are just getting ready to

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plant.

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I've been a part of an effort

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with a number of colleagues to force

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votes on war powers

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resolutions.

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And we are gaining support

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over time from our Republican

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colleagues.

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But that's what we need to do is

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bring this to a quick

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end and use

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diplomacy to achieve.

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Do you feel as

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though the administration is

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skirting the War Powers Resolution

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by declaring this war

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concluded, terminated, over?

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I heard just a

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week ago the

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Secretary of Defense say,

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well, you can't toll the days

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that we've been in a ceasefire.

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Those don't count as

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part of the 60 days

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that the

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War Powers Act references.

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But regardless,

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we are currently

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in hostilities.

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We are clearly in

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a war.

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And it is an

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unmitigated disaster for

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the U.S.

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And the global economy.

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Because you were just describing

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the best case outcome,

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what would be the worst?

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The worst is that we end up

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far less secure as

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an economy as well as as

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a nation because of

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this war of choice,

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this illegal war of choice.

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You know, and while it's not

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tangible, the damage it's

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doing to the rule of law in this

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country is worth noting.

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What are your constituents saying

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about what it means for them here at

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home?

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Well, I'm hearing mostly about the

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costs. We have had the

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highest cost really ever on

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average for gasoline at

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$4.50 on

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average across the state.

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Farmers are really reaching

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out to describe

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the shortage of fertilizer

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as well as the high price if

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they can source it.

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This will affect what they're able

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to plant this year.

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And, you know, that's all on top

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of the president's

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previous trade wars that have cut

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off markets for

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our farmers and have

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really jacked up the

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cost of input.

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So I would say overwhelming

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opposition to the war,

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but mostly articulated

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by folks who

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are just feeling the squeeze, and

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they were already feeling the

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lack of affordability prior

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to the war beginning.

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This has just doubled down on

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that.

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Seeing all of that, how do you think

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the war in Iran affects the midterm

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elections?

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I think that people

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will be more likely to vote for

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those who have opposed the war

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and have taken actions

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or spoken out against

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it and have

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articulated that they

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will be a check and a

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balance to this president,

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not somebody

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who just loyally

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goes down whatever path he takes

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us.

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So we were just talking about

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agriculture and fertilizer and

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inputs for farmers.

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The U.S. Senate is poised to take up

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the farm bill after the House passed

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the $390 billion

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version of

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it. What are your priorities for the

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farm bill for Wisconsin?

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Well, looking at the bill that was

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passed by the House,

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I realize that it doesn't really

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respond to the enormous

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headwinds our farmers are facing.

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Look, they're the hardest working

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people I know,

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supplying food for not only

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the country, but the world.

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And the Farm Bill needs

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to address those challenges.

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One of the things that makes the

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House passed bill really a

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non-starter in the Senate is the

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refusal to restore

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some of the nutrition funding

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that was cut from the president,

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what he calls his One Big Beautiful

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Bill Act, it doesn't restore

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the $186 billion

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that was cut out of the SNAP

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program.

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And that is

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something that brings

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folks together in terms of

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farm policy. But in

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the terms of my priorities.

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The Dairy Business Innovation

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Act is one that I

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got in the last farm bill.

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It's been so successful for

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dairy businesses to grow

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and improve their bottom line,

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and I want to see

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increased support for that.

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The House Pass Bill does not include

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my Healthy H2O Act,

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which helps folks in

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rural areas check their water for

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PFAS and other contaminants.

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Things that they really can't afford

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to do without some help,

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and also the Farmers

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First Act.

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Farmers, because of the stresses,

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financial and otherwise, that they

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face, have high rates

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of suicide.

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And so this is a mental health

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program that helps reduce

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that stress

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and helps make sure

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that there are support

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groups.

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Locally for them to turn to.

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How difficult will it be to

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pass the Farm Bill?

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I think that we can craft

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a bill on the Senate side that is

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bipartisan and that foresees

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what will be necessary to

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garner the bipartisan support

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necessary to pass a bill.

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You know we see this over and over

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again in the Senate, you need sixty

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votes to pass Farm Bill.

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In the House it's a simple majority

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so they can write a partisan package

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and pass it.

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But we need to write a bi-partisan

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package that really addresses

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the challenges that we're hearing.

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From our farmers.

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On disaster aid, we know that

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Governor Evers reached out to

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Wisconsin's congressional delegation

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for help getting more than $26

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million in federal disaster

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aid to fix infrastructure after last

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summer's floods that the

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president had denied.

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What inroads is our delegation

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making into recovering

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that aid?

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Yeah, I mean, certainly I

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was pleased that the

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administration approved

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some of the

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grants for personal loss,

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individual losses that were faced.

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But for the public infrastructure,

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they turned it down, and I see no

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reason for that.

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In fact, I'm concerned that there

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were politics involved.

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Meanwhile, we have

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a new set of

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tornadoes and flood damage

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that has just happened in the past

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month.

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And we need to work with the

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administration to make

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those citizens and

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communities whole as

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best as possible through

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work with FEMA.

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You know, the president came into

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office pledging to abolish

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FEMA. He hasn't succeeded

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in that. We understand that

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there is a role for the federal

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government in.

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Emergency management and

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emergency relief and

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we need to hold them

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accountable to that.

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We will see.

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Senator Tammy Baldwin, thanks very

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much.

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Thank you.