During a segment of UpNorthNews Radio, Sen. Baldwin discussed some of the hottest topics on this year’s campaign trail.
In this year’s Senate race between Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger and owner of the Utah-based Sunbank, Eric Hovde, there’s been no shortage of ads highlighting inflation, the border, or fentanyl. But what does Baldwin have to say on these issues when given more than 30 seconds?
Inflation, with a side of gouging
Compared to other countries, the United States economy has had the best post-pandemic recovery. But for many, they’re not seeing all of the benefits of that strong economy in their everyday lives.
“During the pandemic, all of our supply chains got totally screwed up,” Baldwin said.
Using diapers as an example, Baldwin said demand didn’t drop, but the supply did. So what happens? The price increases.
“But since then, our supply chains have reset, and the makers of diapers have seen their input costs go down by 75%. So did we see a price drop for diapers of 75%? No.”
“We have seen over the three inflationary years a 14% increase in prices. But corporations have seen a 75% increase in profits. That’s corporate price gouging in my mind. And right now we are pushing to pass legislation that would allow a cop on the beat who’s fighting for consumers.”
Baldwin added there’s no reason for corporations to drop prices either because “consumers are tolerating our high prices.” Meaning: they’re still shopping.
You might not notice a higher price when shopping either because of “shrinkflation.”
“They charge the same price, but you’re getting less of the product to do it with paper towels and toilet rolls, you name it. We’re getting gouged. And we have to figure out a way to fight back.”
The Border
Sen. Baldwin says that she wants “solutions” when it comes to the border and border security. The proof point? Bipartisan legislation that the Senate negotiated last winter and spring “that would have added 1,500 Border Patrol agents to our southern border.”
“It was endorsed by the very conservative Border Patrol Union.”
The bill however failed to pass at the urging of Donald Trump.
Had the bill passed, “We would already have those 1,500 Border Patrol agents in place.”
Instead, Baldwin says, Republicans like Eric Hovde “wanted to play politics” and “have an issue to run on.”
Fentanyl
The bill that Senate Republicans killed earlier this year would not only have provided funds for Border Patrol agents, it would have also “deployed technology that would be capable of scanning every vehicle entering into our ports of entry,” said Baldwin.
“I think of it like when I travel and go through TSA at the airport. They have technology that can see into our baggage without opening it… It would have allowed us to intercept, interdict far more illegal fentanyl than we are able to today with hand inspections.”
The fentanyl issue is also a personal one for Baldwin, who’s no stranger to what addiction can do to a family.
“My mother struggled with addiction to prescription narcotics that her doctors gave her.”
But since serving in the Senate, Baldwin says she’s progressively been working to address problematic substances, first working to address prescription drug addictions, then heroin, and now fentanyl.
“I fought very hard for a bill called the Fend Off Fentanyl act, which looks at the entire supply chain from the precursor chemicals in China to the pill presses and distribution from the Mexican cartels.”
You can listen to the full UpNorthNews Radio interview with Sen. Baldwin on our Facebook page or the Civic Media website, where you can also subscribe to the show as a podcast. UpNorthNews Radio airs weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 am on Civic Media stations across Wisconsin and you can watch a live video stream of the show on our Facebook page.
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