>> The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original
production. >> Wisconsin is joining
another multistate lawsuit challenging the Trump
administration's efforts to slash the federal
government. At Wisconsin's capital, tribal communities
seek justice for the missing and murdered. And the battle
over the state budget begins in earnest. Good evening.
I'm Zach Schultz, filling in for Frederica Freyberg
tonight on here and Now. State Attorney General Josh
Kaul on the multi-state lawsuits. Wisconsin has
joined. Republican representative Mark Born on
state budget priorities. [MUSIC]
Wisconsin's tribes ask for more help as cases of the
missing and murdered go unsolved. And what extended
Medicaid coverage could mean for mothers. It's "Here&
Now" for May 9th. [MUSIC]
>> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
>> Governor Tony Evers announced this week
Wisconsin has joined another multi-state lawsuit against
the Trump administration, this time suing the
Department of Transportation over its decision to block
the release of $60 million in federal funds that would
support electric vehicle infrastructure around the
state. Behind each lawsuit is Wisconsin's Democratic
Attorney General, Josh Kaul, who joins us now. Thanks for
being here. >> Thanks for having me.
>> So this makes 15 lawsuits, by our count, in
which the state is suing the federal government over
issues like job cuts, policy changes and federal funding.
The Trump administration won't release, as in this
case. Why is it that the state attorneys general are
the ones taking the lead when it comes to battling
some of these executive orders out of the Trump
administration? >> Well, the basic reason is
that a lot of what the Trump administration is doing is
flouting the law, and that means going to court and
getting accountability. I look at two basic things in
deciding whether Wisconsin should get involved in a
multi-state suit. One is, is there a policy that's
harmful to Wisconsinites? So cutting over $60 million in
funds that should be coming to Wisconsin and undermining
our clean energy efforts, which is bad for the
environment and also bad for jobs in Wisconsin that's
harmful to Wisconsinites. And then secondly, is there
a sound legal basis for challenging the policy? And
here this is a law that was passed by Congress and
signed into law by the president at the time, the
bipartisan infrastructure doesn't get to overrule that
by fiat. That's not how our constitutional republic
works. So I believe we have a sound legal basis for
challenging this. And so in this case, as well as the
others, those two factors are met. And so we've gone
to court to seek relief on behalf of the people of the
state. you're asking a federal
court to block an executive order to prevent something
like job cuts from happening. In other cases,
you're asking for them to do something, as in release
funds. disbursement of some of
these funds, there are processes in place. There's
a lot of work and planning that's been done. And the
Trump administration has come in and essentially told
appointees to stop following the law and not do what
you're required to do under the law. We're going to
exercise our own policy judgment. And that's, again,
that's just not how our system of government works.
If we had a king who could act by fiat, that's how it
would work. But we have a system of laws, and the
president's duty under the Constitution is to
faithfully execute those laws. So. So what we're
getting, what we're requesting is that he be
blocked from intervening and stopping the laws from being
complied with. >> So victory in any of
these cases applies to the entire United States. So why
is it important for Wisconsin specifically to be
involved? nationwide. It depends on
the case. In some of these cases, we seek nationwide
injunction. So orders that block policies across the
country. But in some cases either we only seek relief
in the particular states involved or or the judge
decides to only issue relief in those states. So, for
example, in the case involving the freeze on
federal funding, which would have caused catastrophic
effects nationwide if it had gone into effect right now,
the order in place in that case only applies in the
plaintiff states. So because Wisconsin was involved, were
one of the states that benefits. Now, in addition
to that, it's also important that Wisconsin's perspective
is heard in these cases. If we are not one of the
parties to this case, that the Wisconsin perspective
doesn't get heard by the court.
>> So the majority of the states that have signed on
to these lawsuits are blue states, or in Wisconsin's
case, a purple state with a, you know, Democrats in
charge of the administration. Are there
involved in these? Do you shop this out to red states
to see if they'll sign on? >> Well, so far, these
multi-state cases against the Trump administration
have been all Democratic AGS. And that's that's
some of these cases, the Trump administration is so
clearly flouting the law or the Constitution. And I'll
give you a simple example. One of the policy changes
we've challenged relates to birthright citizenship. And
birthright citizenship is literally written into the
Constitution. There's US Supreme Court precedent
directly on point. There's federal law on point. And
yet Republican AGS haven't been willing to join us in
fighting back against this. And it's harmful,
potentially to their states. As we talked about some of
these orders only apply in the states that are
involved. So some states may be left without funds
because their AGS didn't get involved. So it's my hope
that we will see Republicans get more engaged. But but so
far, both in Congress and in the AGS ranks, Republicans
have been unwilling to stand up to Donald Trump and his
lawlessness. And it's critical for the Republic
that they get involved in this effort to protect our
Constitution and protect the >> We've seen Donald Trump
try to influence federal judges in the past,
threatening impeachment or questioning their
independence. Does that matter? Once you're in the
courtroom arguing the case? >> Well, I think it doesn't
matter from the standpoint of our judge is going to be
independent and do the right thing. I think we've seen
them doing that. They've been applying the law, and
that's why you see the judiciary, unlike Congress,
for example, where where judges appointed by
Republicans as well as judges appointed by
Democrats have pushed back. But where it does matter is
that, you know, our our constitutional system relies
on people respecting the fact that we have co-equal
branches and that there is separation of powers. We all
need to be involved in protecting our Constitution.
>> Switching to state politics and the budget.
What are the prospects for what you're asking for? For
the Department of Justice? >> You know, I'm hopeful. We
are asking for investments that will help make our
communities in Wisconsin safer. We've asked for
additional funding for victim service programs
around the state, because there's been a significant
decrease in federal funding, and we've seen some positive
feedback from Republicans on that. We've asked for
continuation of the work being done by the Office of
School Safety. And again, that's received bipartisan
support. And the crime labs are a critical component of
the criminal justice system in this state. And so making
sure that we continue to invest in the labs so that
we continue to stay on the cutting edge of technology
and continue to be able to test evidence efficiently,
is important. So, of course, we don't know how the
process will play out yet. But given that these are
public safety investments, I'm hopeful that there will
be bipartisan support for what we've asked for.
>> All right. Attorney General Josh Kaul, thanks
for your time today. >> Thanks for having me.
>> Republicans in control of the legislature took their
first action on the state budget this week, and they
voted to strip out more than 600 items from Governor Tony
Evers proposed budget. Essentially taking the
budget back to square one. Deliberations over the next
two months will determine the state budget for the
next two years. Here and now. Reporter Steven Potter
sat down with joint finance co-chair and State
Representative Mark Born to talk about how Republicans
plan to approach this process.
>> What are the Republican priorities for the next two
year state budget? >> I think that they will be
similar to what you've seen in the last couple of
budgets, and that means that there needs to be tax
reform, and there needs to be investment in key
priorities. And those key priorities are things that
we hear about in our districts every day. And I
don't think most of them are a surprise to folks. It's
investing in the future in education. It's healthcare,
roads, things like that. And but key to part of that too
is the tax reform package. It has to work together.
It's not just about spending on things. It's about
creating the proper environment in Wisconsin for
families and businesses to succeed. And some of that's
investment in key things like education and some of
that's things like tax reform to make sure that
we're competitive in in the Midwest and in a global
economy with, with being able to support your family
and run a business here in Wisconsin.
competing priorities between Democratic Governor Tony
Evers and Republican leadership. But where might
be the compromise in this state budget?
>> You look at historically, we we've done some great
compromises in education. In the last budget for both
public education and vouchers to have options for
parents and students. We made great strides in shared
revenue, investing in local communities, especially in
public safety. In the last budget, we were able to keep
the Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin for a long time
with a good compromise. There. So I'm hopeful that
there will be opportunities for that in this budget. I
think that the Corrections is an area that really needs
some work. I think that's one thing in the governor's
budget that can maybe be ripe for compromise. But,
you know, we're starting discussions here a few weeks
ago with the governor and tax reform. I'm hopeful we
can find some common ground there because, like I said,
it's an important part of an overall budget.
>> You've been traveling the state with your other
committee members, listening to Wisconsin residents about
what they feel is important to have in the state budget.
What did you learn at those sessions?
>> Yeah, I think we heard some of those common themes
that I mentioned, some of them earlier, education,
infrastructure like roads, health care. This time we
had a little bit more of discussion of federal issues
because that was kind of top of mind for folks with
changes in Washington, D.C. bit of a different flavor
that we've had in past public hearings. There's
always a few regional things, but most of it's the
steady themes and it's issues that aren't really a
surprise to folks. It's the stuff that everyone's
talking about. >> We've seen federal cuts
impact a number of state organizations, and there's
threats to cut programs like Head Start and Medicaid,
among other programs. Does the state have an obligation
to backfill those programs where the federal government
has cut or reduced or eliminated programs?
>> I think there are some things that can be
discussed. If there are priorities for Wisconsin
that used to be paid for in other ways, you know, should
Wisconsin prioritize that? But one of the things I
think that's most important is, unlike the feds, we
don't print money. We have to have a balanced budget.
And so there's no way that the state government could
ever fill every federal cut that could be made. The
budgets are just not comparable. Instead, we will
look at everything case by case. And if there are
things that the state needs to prioritize differently
because of adjustments in the federal government,
we'll do that. We've always done that. We did that over
a year ago now when under the previous administration,
changes were made to VOCA funding for victims of
crime. And on our last day of session, we put some more
money into that program to help make sure that domestic
violence shelters and things like that could get through
to the next budget cycle, and we could talk more about
that. And so it's not unusual for us to have to
look at changes at the federal level. We'll do the
same, but there should be no expectation that the state
will just fill voids. That's not realistic. That's not
how the math could possibly work for a state budget.
>> The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently affirmed
Governor Evers partial veto when it comes to school levy
increases. Does the state intend to fund those
increases, or will it leave it up to the school boards
and the local municipalities to fund those increases?
>> And that's going to be part of the budget
discussion. But I certainly think this is a good example
of, you know, the unintended consequences, maybe, of the
governor being cute with his line item veto, and now he's
forced funding and tax increases on communities in
Wisconsin for 400 years. And it's muddy the waters and
education discussions and makes that part of the
budget a little more difficult. But I certainly
don't think it's our job to try to fix his mistakes. I
think that in some ways, he's going to have to live
with that. more than $4 billion. Now,
how does that surplus affect how you write the budget
this year? >> It certainly plays a
role. But the important part of that is, is that's more
like your savings account, right? That's one time
money. It's not something that we want to build a
budget that spends into the future. And because at some
point that savings account would be empty then and we'd
run out of money, and it wouldn't be a smart way to
budget. But it is a great way to do one time
investments like infrastructure things. So we
should be able to do some capital budget things, some
road things, maybe even fill some voids in the federal
funding to see what the future looks like and
balance that with some good tax reform so we can have a
good budget for the whole state of Wisconsin.
>> The Trump administration issued an executive order
last week directing the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting to halt direct funding of PBS and NPR, PBS
Wisconsin is a member station of PBS, the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not a
federal agency under control of the administration.
Instead, it's a private organization created and
funded by Congress. Congress has appropriated $535
million for the CPB. Much of that funding flows down to
member stations across the country. Approximately 10%
of our budget at PBS Wisconsin comes from that
funding. The leadership at PBS and NPR have vowed to
fight this order in court, calling it illegal. The
Trump administration has also said it plans to
introduce a rescission packaging Congress, a method
to eliminate congressionally authorized spending. It's
been reported that package would include future funding
for the CPB. Those are the facts we've been asked by
our viewers what the cuts would mean to PBS Wisconsin,
and for that, we wanted you to hear directly from our
leadership team. So I spoke with Jordan Siegler,
executive director of Wisconsin Public Media.
>> At the federal level. A lot of these cuts are are at
this point, they're ideas, and they certainly do
threaten aspects of our funding. But everything is
speculative. This is perhaps the biggest threat to public
media funding that we're facing currently, at least
in recent memory. However, the system is very strong.
Our message is very strong. Our service to the state and
to this nation is proven. And so right now we're
really focused on telling our story of impact. Of
course, we're paying attention to the threats
that we face, but we're really focused on serving
our audiences through through our education
services, through community connections, and through
local content that reflect the state and the priorities
of the citizens. >> A rally for missing and
Murdered Indigenous People was held at the Capitol to
bring awareness to this growing concern for the
state's tribal community "Here& Now", reporter Erika
Ayisi spoke with the task force on how they are trying
to gather data to address the problem. This report is
in collaboration with our partners ICT, formerly
Indian Country Today. >> A day of Remembrance.
>> I am a relative of Caitlin Kelley, the
indigenous young woman that was stolen from us on June
19th, 2021 and was tragically murdered.
>> For Wisconsin's missing and murdered indigenous
people. >> Today, we honor our
relatives that are still out there missing. Today, we
honor our relatives that have been murdered. Over 20
speakers gathered outside the Capitol.
>> Today, we stand together in solidarity and unity to
bring justice, to bring awareness.
>> Awareness about the disproportionate number of
missing and murdered indigenous people in
Wisconsin's native tribes. >> Reitz Pocan was my
auntie. Family members said. Their loved ones names a
reminder to the public that their relative is not
forgotten. >> My little brother, Sean
Grinnell, was brutally murdered on the reservation
and also my nephew, Cory Grinnell.
>> A single red hand symbol printed on shirts, skirts
and signs signaling that a member of the indigenous
community left home and never returned.
>> And had a son murdered. One year ago. These two
boys, they were best friends. They died together,
and their killer is still out there.
>> A Milwaukee mother grieves and calls for
justice. >> Monroe. We saw in Alex
Sanchez how. We need justice.
>> Missing and murdered indigenous people is an
increasing concern affecting all of Wisconsin's native
tribes. Many of these cases go unsolved, like the murder
of Andy Lemke's cousin Ray. >> Elaine went missing when
we were just 18 years old. She had a six week old baby,
Elise. >> Shannon Holsey, president
of Stockbridge-munsee Band of Mohican Indians, says
addressing the issue of missing and murdered
indigenous people starts by dismantling erasure towards
Native Americans and respecting tribal
sovereignty. >> Accepting what
sovereignty looks like, allowing tribal nations to
exercise that sovereignty, and looking at
cross-jurisdictional ways to share that data to make sure
that we come together as collective people and
understand that this is not an Meir crisis. This is a
humanitarian effort. >> In 2020, state Attorney
General Josh Kaul formed the Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women Task Force to help address this effort.
According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. There's over
4000 unsolved cases across America. But here in
Wisconsin, that exact number is difficult to track. The
task force says they're releasing a report by the
end of this year, in the exact number of missing
indigenous people in Wisconsin is also missing.
>> We lack resources, including just simple, like
databases. Every other police officer in the state
has access to, like an NCIS database where when a person
goes missing, they immediately. That will go
throughout all the police forces. And we don't have
access to that type of equipment. That's very vital
when our relatives go missing.
of the Wisconsin's Missing and Murdered Indigenous
Women Task Force, says their upcoming report includes a
request for $3.5 million. >> For liaison positions and
why we decided that we needed to do that is because
as a task force, we never anticipated families coming
directly to us and needing our assistance when their
relatives went missing, or for them to come to us if
they wanted to look at cold cases.
>> About 80% of indigenous people live in urban areas.
Others live on reservations. Rufus says part of their
action plans for the state are collaborative efforts
between county and tribal jurisdictions.
>> We really rely on our county partners to identify
us correctly and to get that data back to our tribal
communities, and that that system just isn't in place.
And so that's something that we are recommending.
>> Stories of Prehn. >> Ranay Elena Turlock was
my cousin. >> And loss.
>> Mary C tomorrow. >> We're matched with
support for healing. >> We need to hear these
stories, and these stories need to be told because we
need justice. We need healing.
>> Kyle Stout, he was murdered.
>> Braxton Lee Phillips, you are never forgotten.
>> Reporting from Madison. I'm Eric Ayisi for "Here&
Now". >> Wisconsin faces a
maternal health care crossroads. While the state
Senate just passed a bill to extend postpartum Medicaid
coverage from 60 days to a full year. The Assembly's
history of stalling the measure leaves thousands of
new mothers in limbo. “Here& Now” reporter Aditi Debnath
has the story. >> With my daughter, I had
really bad postpartum depression and it was a
struggle. >> Wendy Yuen is not alone
in Wisconsin. Two out of every five mothers give
birth on Medicaid. That's the program that provides
health coverage to low income people. Most states
expanded Medicaid to cover postpartum mothers for a
year in Wisconsin, mothers lose coverage just two
months after delivery. For many, that means no support.
During a time of immense physical and emotional
change. >> I was on leave when I
realized that it was really bad. So at that time I was
only making 60% of my pay and I could barely afford to
pay my mortgage and just be able to take care of my son
and the new baby and myself. >> Any expansion to Medicaid
is highly likely in any given area or state to
improve access that women have to prenatal care,
intrapartum care, and postpartum care.
>> Doctor Ryan Spencer is an ob gyn at the UW-Madison
Medical School. He says the state is in a maternal
health care crisis, in part due to years without
Medicaid expansion. >> I think we're actually in
the long term impacts of having not addressed those
for decades. >> The state Senate's recent
vote to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to a year
aims to address the need for care. The bill, passed with
support from nearly every lawmaker, signaling rare
bipartisan agreement on the issue.
>> I think everyone else gets it. Anyone who's had
kids or anybody who's been around kids knows that the
more that you can have that person to person attention
and frankly, take things off the plate of that parent,
the better. >> But the Senate's vote
contrasts sharply with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
Repeated blocks, he said ahead of the Senate vote.
>> My position has been fairly clear from the very
beginning. I've never supported an expansion of
welfare. I can't imagine that I would ever support
one, but we have to talk about it as a caucus that
everybody else is. Snyder, who introduced the
postpartum coverage bill in the Assembly, stresses that
this is not a partisan issue.
>> I've told some of the opponents saying that if a
mom dies a lot of times, that might mean the child
has to go into foster care or, you know, things to that
nature that's going to cost the state more than if we
just help the moms, if they need the help. So, you know,
you got to sometimes talk to them about dollars and
cents. >> Wisconsin is now one of
two states in the nation without a full year of
postpartum Medicaid coverage.
that's covered under state insurance isn't really
enough. Like my daughter's one. And I'm still
struggling every day just to, like, keep up with all
the things that I have to do to make sure that she's
healthy. >> The challenge is even
greater for mothers living outside Wisconsin's larger
cities. Only about half of rural hospitals in the state
offer labor and delivery services. Many of those
mothers are on Medicaid, which reimburses hospitals
significantly less for services.
>> Increasing the reimbursement for obstetric
care would undoubtedly increase opportunities for
hospital systems to run effectively.
>> Availability of obstetric services in rural areas has
gone down for more than a decade, according to the
U.S. Government Accountability Office. It is
difficult for hospitals in rural areas to recruit and
retain maternal health providers. Also, a higher
proportion of rural patients rely on Medicaid, which
doesn't fully cover obstetric services. The
recent end of birthing services at a rural hospital
in northern Wisconsin makes accessing care more
difficult. When Theta Care announced it would close its
Waupaca birthing unit, the Common Council unanimously
passed a resolution asking it to reconsider. For its
part, Theta Care said the needs and demands of
expectant mothers are shifting. Deliveries have
been declining and mothers are choosing to deliver at
larger birth centers. The shortage of physicians and
nurses in rural areas is an issue being felt across the
country and in our region, as labor and delivery
complexity is increasing. >> What you see when you
lose a birthing center for a community. Increased number
of births outside of hospitals. You see an
increased number of preterm births when you lose a
birthing center as well, you lose the opportunity to get
easy access to prenatal care and postpartum care because
you don't have those particular clinicians in
that area anymore. >> The nearest full service
hospital is now 30 miles away in Stevens Point. That
distance can make a difference in a labor and
delivery emergency. The Theta Care Hospital in
Waupaca still provides postpartum and prenatal
care. >> Let's extend postpartum
coverage for pregnant women on Badgercare up to one year
after giving birth. >> Governor Evers has once
again included the postpartum Medicaid
extension in his 2025 2027 budget proposal, alongside
more than $18 million over the next two years to
increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for
obstetric services. >> There's also a bipartisan
bill to get it done that almost 90 legislators
support. >> With the budget debate
heating up, Doctor Spencer warns that without action,
more birthing units will close and more mothers will
fall through the cracks. >> We know that there is
something going on related to the health, wellbeing and
mortality of women giving birth in rural areas that
for some reason is not experienced in urban areas.
The CDC has told us your zip code matters as to how risky
pregnancy is for you, and we need to pay attention to
that. >> Reporting from Madison.
I'm Aditi Debnath for "Here& Now".
>> For more on this and other issues facing
Wisconsin, visit our website at PBS Wisconsin. Org. Then
click on the news tab. That is our program for tonight.
I'm Zac Schultz Frederica Freyberg will be back next
week. Have a great Mother's Day weekend.
[MUSIC] >> Funding for here and Now
is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and
Friends of PBS Wisconsin.