Tony Wied campaigned on "cutting the cost of everyday items" for Wisconsin families, but his record in Congress tells a different story. Wied enthusiastically backed Trump's tariffs — which economists project will cost Wisconsin dairy farmers $1–2 billion in lost income and have already driven grocery prices up 3.1% — then voted for the "Big Beautiful Bill," which the nonpartisan CBO found will cut incomes for the poorest 10% of Americans by 3.1% while boosting incomes for the richest 10% by 2.7%. When the bill's tariffs and benefit cuts are combined, the Yale Budget Lab found the bottom 10% of households lose about 7% of their income while the top gains nearly 1.5%.
In Wied's own district, 27,000 Brown County residents face SNAP cuts, 270,000 Wisconsinites are projected to lose health insurance, and dairy farmers who already operate on thin margins face retaliatory tariffs from their largest export markets. Green Bay's mayor called the bill Wied voted for one that "literally makes the poor poorer, and the rich richer."
Wied Ran On "Cutting The Cost Of Everyday Items" For Wisconsin Families. According to Wied's campaign website, he pledged to focus on "cutting the cost of everyday items impacted by Democrats' failed economic policies" and "reigning in out-of-control government spending." [Tony Wied for Congress, Viewed 2/16/26]
Wied Applauded Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs On Over 180 Countries. According to WisPolitics, Wied stated, "'President Trump has made it clear with these reciprocal tariffs that we will no longer allow other countries to take advantage of us. His goal is simple: to bring jobs and manufacturing back to our country and open up foreign markets to American products.'" [WisPolitics, 4/2/25]
Wied Doubled Down On Tariff Support Even As Wisconsin Farmers And Manufacturers Sounded Alarms. According to WBAY, Wied acknowledged the trade situation was "very difficult" but defended the tariffs, stating, "'These are very difficult negotiations, it's a messy world, it's a messy trade situation we were handed but we are going to work very hard to straighten it out and provide and allow for a better quality of life for our farmers in District 8.'" Wisconsin's farming and food processing industries exported over $3 billion in products the prior year. [WBAY, 3/13/25]
Economists Projected Tariffs Would Cost Wisconsin Dairy Farmers $1–2 Billion In Lost Income. According to WXPR, UW-Madison economist Chuck Nicholson modeled that if Canada's 25% retaliatory tariff on U.S. dairy persists, Wisconsin farms could see a "15-50% reduction in farm income" and potential "$1-2 billion in state income losses." Wisconsin exported $518 million in dairy products in 2023, with Canada as its largest market. [WXPR, 5/2/25]
Grocery Prices Rose 3.1% In 2025 As Tariffs Wied Supported Took Effect. According to Urban Milwaukee, grocery prices were 3.1% higher in December 2025 than in December 2024, with experts estimating roughly half of the tariff impact had been felt by year's end, "suggesting further price increases could occur." One Wisconsin small business owner reported paying about a 50% tariff on imported bottles, adding $1 per bottle passed on to consumers. [Urban Milwaukee, 1/23/26]
CBO Found The Big Beautiful Bill Wied Voted For Will Cut Incomes For The Poorest 10% By 3.1% While Boosting The Richest 10% By 2.7%. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the poorest 10% of earners will see average after-tax income fall by 3.1% by 2034, mostly due to reductions in programs like Medicaid and food assistance, while the richest 10% will see average after-tax income rise by 2.7%, primarily through tax cuts. [CBO, 8/14/25]
Yale Budget Lab Found Combined Tariffs And Big Beautiful Bill Hit The Bottom 10% Hardest — An Approximately 7% Income Loss. According to the Yale Budget Lab, the combination of 2025 tariff increases and the Big Beautiful Bill would reduce after-tax-and-transfer incomes for the bottom 10% of households by about 7%, while those at the top would see an increase of nearly 1.5%. The bottom 80% of households lose income on average under the combined policies. [Yale Budget Lab, Viewed 2/16/26]
Wied Called His Vote "Pro-Wisconsinite" Despite The Bill Cutting Benefits For Hundreds Of Thousands Of His Constituents. According to WFRV, Wied said he was "'proud'" of his vote for the Big Beautiful Bill, describing it as "'pro-American, pro-Wisconsinite'" and claiming it "'puts more money back in people's pockets.'" [WFRV, 7/30/25]
Green Bay Mayor Called The Bill Wied Supported One That "Literally Makes The Poor Poorer And The Rich Richer." According to WFRV, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich said of the Big Beautiful Bill, "'It's a bill that literally makes the poor poorer, and the rich richer.'" [WFRV, 7/30/25]
Wied Voted For The Big Beautiful Bill That Cut SNAP Benefits For 700,000 Wisconsin Families. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the budget reconciliation bill Wied voted for would cause 700,000 Wisconsinites to lose critical food benefits from cuts to SNAP. The bill expanded work requirements to SNAP recipients ages 18 to 64 and parents of children 14 and older, requiring 80 hours per month of work, school, or job training. [Wisconsin DHS, 7/15/25]
When SNAP Benefits Ran Out During The Government Shutdown, Wied Blamed Democrats. According to Wisconsin Watch, with nearly 700,000 Wisconsin residents facing a SNAP funding cutoff, Wied blamed Democrats for the crisis, stating, "'House Republicans voted for a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open and ensure critical programs like FoodShare continue uninterrupted.'" He called on Democrats to "'change course and vote to open the government immediately so Wisconsinites in need do not have to worry about going hungry'" — even as his party's budget law had already increased Wisconsin's SNAP administrative costs by $43.5 million annually. [Wisconsin Watch, 10/22/25]
Food Bank Leader Said Wisconsin's Food Pantry Network Cannot Fill The Gap Created By SNAP Cuts. According to Fox 11, Matt Stienstra of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin said, "'There is not enough food in the state of Wisconsin through the food bank and pantry network to serve every food insecure person.'" [Fox 11, 2/3/26]
67-Year-Old Oshkosh Resident Said Prices Kept Rising Despite Promises. According to Urban Milwaukee, Randy Dillon, a 67-year-old Oshkosh resident, said, "'The things I used to see on sale ain't there no more [...] It's not getting easier for people like me.'" [Urban Milwaukee, 1/23/26]
Wisconsin ACA Enrollee Faced $8,000-Per-Year Premium Spike After Subsidy Expiration Wied Refused To Prevent. According to Fox 6 Milwaukee, Donna Cuyler described her situation after ACA subsidies expired: "'This is the same exact plan as 2025. Instead of paying about $400, I'll be paying over a thousand dollars (per month),'" totaling roughly $8,000 more per year. She added, "'We'll be digging into our retirement, and I don't know how sustainable it'll be.'" [Fox 6, 1/1/26]
Wisconsin Dairy Farmer Said Tariff Uncertainty Was Taking A Toll. According to WXPR, farmer Hans Breitenmoser said, "'If public policy creates a situation that makes things even less certain in an already terribly uncertain environment, yeah, you grow gray hair as your main crop.'" [WXPR, 5/2/25]
AFSCME Local President Called The Bill Wied Voted For "An Attack On The Working And Middle Class." According to AFSCME, Ben Delie, president of AFSCME Local 3055, said, "'The Big Beautiful Bill is an attack on the working and middle class,'" warning of "'hungry kids at schools, rural hospitals closing, nursing homes forced to kick out seniors.'" [AFSCME, 7/31/25]