Democrats hold town hall to decry Tony Wied's absence, GOP's cuts to social programs

As August came to an end, Tony Wied had occupied his Congressional seat for nearly eight months. To that point, he had yet to hold an in-person forum with his constituents. 

Julie Hancock, who made a late bid to win the seat in 2022 and is now the Chair of the 8th Congression District Democrats, helped organize a constituent forum with Indivisible Brown County and the Democratic Party of Brown County on Saturday. She said Wied’s invisibility is unacceptable and pointed to his Facebook post of May 2 when he called his No. 1 priority was “to be a representative for my constituents of Northeast Wisconsin regardless of political affiliation.”

“Yet nearly three hundred days in, that promise rings hollow,” she said in a press release. “Instead of showing up to hear from the people, Wied has chosen distractions, partisan talking points, and tightly scripted appearances.”

About 300 constituents, representing a majority of the 11 counties that make up the 8^th Congressional District, attended the Town Hall on Aug. 30 at Edison Middle School in Green Bay. Wied did not attend, while two declared Democratic congressional candidates, Mark Scheffler and Rick Crosson, introduced themselves at the event.

The Town Hall was chaired by Wanda Sieber, Indivisible Brown Country.

For nearly two hours more than 20 constituents took to the microphone to share their concerns about the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” President Trump’s and the GOP’s budget reconciliation legislation which offers tax cuts – mostly to the wealthy – while cutting many social safety net programs.  Most of the bill's impact will not be felt by constituents until after the November 2026 midterm elections as most of the harshest cuts were deferred until 2027. Wied voted for the bill.

David, a disabled veteran, criticized the cuts to veterans' benefits and other social programs while providing tax breaks for corporations.

Selena was concerned about a projected $314 million reduction in Wisconsin food assistance and its impact on families in need. 

Others criticized the bill for disproportionately benefiting the wealthy, leading to healthcare deserts, and impeding clean energy initiatives and student loan relief. 

Others were apprehensive about the expansion of U.S. immigration enforcement and the introduction of new financial barriers for immigrants.

Medicaid cuts offer 'horrible options'

Lynn Meshke took on the federal government's $900 billion cut to the Medicaid budget, which opponents warn could lead to 275,000 Wisconsinites losing coverage and force healthcare providers to reduce services or close altogether.

“That leaves states with three awful, horrible options,” Meshke said. “Cover fewer people, cover fewer services, or slash payments to providers. It impacts everyone. Your local clinic, your nana's nursing home, your community's mental health provider, your disabled nephew's day program, it's all gone.

“So, here's what we're going to do,” continued Meshke. “When your Medicaid paperwork doubles thanks to the work requirements and you don't know how to complete it, what are you going to do? You're going to call Tony Wied's office. And when your nana’s Meals on Wheels disappear, what are you going to do? You're going to call Tony Wied’s office. And when you open a letter from the state saying that your disabled kiddo has lost his Medicaid because of an administrative error, what are you going to do? You're going to call Tony Wied. Or when that letter tells you that your insurance premiums have gone up 30 percent, what are you going to do? Call Tony! That's right. You're going to call Tony because that is what he voted for when he said yes on HR1.”

The budget bill wasn’t uppermost on everyone’s mind. Attorney William Appel of Green Bay criticized a response he received from Wied shortly after the January 6 insurrectionists were pardoned.  In the letter, Wied said, “I trust the President’s decision to pardon and commute the sentences of nonviolent protestors who were unfairly criminally charged and harshly sentenced by our weaponized DOJ.”

Scheffler and Crosson, the two announced Democratic candidates for Wied’s seat, also spoke. Scheffler calls himself a progressive democrat running on a “bit of a different platform.” Based on the results from 2024, he says Democrats must flip 30,000 votes. “Those are farmers, those are people in rural communities, those are veterans, those are people that wear red hats, people who at least have some open-mindedness to talk,” he said. 

In a recent Civic Media radio interview, Scheffler said if he won, he would rescind his party affiliation and change from Democrat to Independent.

Rick Crosson, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and former member of the Green Bay school board, described his priorities as economic security, healthcare, education, and defending democratic institutions. “The most expensive thing in the world for a person to be right now is poor,” he said. “That means most of your money is going to just pure survival.”

The Town Hall can be viewed on the “Democratic Party of Brown County” Facebook page.