Tony Wied campaigned as a small business owner who would "bring jobs and manufacturing back" to Northeast Wisconsin, but his record in Congress tells a different story. Wied enthusiastically backed Trump's tariffs — which a Federal Reserve analysis found may have cost the economy 19,000 jobs per month and hit Wisconsin harder than any other state, with nearly 10% of the state's workforce in industries targeted by retaliatory tariffs. In Wied's own district, 240 workers at the Saputo cheese plant in Suamico lost their jobs, 93 shipbuilders at Marinette Marine were laid off after the Navy canceled a multi-billion-dollar frigate contract, and dairy farmers face $1–2 billion in projected losses from retaliatory tariffs on their largest export market.
When Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry's CEO explained that tariffs were destroying demand and forcing layoffs, Wied doubled down, praising tariffs as "simple" — bring jobs back. Instead, the U.S. manufacturing sector lost jobs every single month after tariffs took effect. And the "Big Beautiful Bill" Wied voted for will make it even harder for working families: the CBO found it cuts incomes for the poorest 10% by 3.1% while boosting the richest 10% by 2.7%, and the Yale Budget Lab found that combined with tariffs, the bottom 10% of households lose about 7% of their income.
Wied Said Tariffs Would "Bring Jobs And Manufacturing Back To Our Country." 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]
Instead, A Federal Reserve Analysis Found Tariffs May Have Cost The Economy 19,000 Jobs Per Month. According to Fox Business, a Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City analysis found that tariffs may have cost the broader economy 19,000 additional jobs per month, slowing job growth from 170,000 monthly positions in 2024 to just 75,000 through August 2025. Job growth in nearly all sectors in 2025 was below the 2022-23 average, with sectors most exposed to tariffs facing the steepest declines. [Fox Business, 1/14/26]
Wisconsin Had The Highest Share Of Its Workforce In Industries Targeted By Retaliatory Tariffs. According to Up North News, nearly 10% of Wisconsin's workforce is in industries hit by retaliatory tariffs from Canada, China, and the European Union — more than any other state. [Up North News, 3/17/25]
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]
Marinette Marine Laid Off 93 Workers After The Navy Canceled A Multi-Billion-Dollar Frigate Contract. According to Urban Milwaukee, Fincantieri Marinette Marine laid off 93 employees — "primarily white collar positions" — after the Navy canceled four Constellation-class frigates that were to be built in Marinette. The company warned that additional "workforce adjustments" may be needed "without meaningful government-directed business coming into our Wisconsin System of Shipyards." The shipyard had approximately 2,175 employees and contract workers before the layoffs. [Urban Milwaukee, 12/5/25]
Wied Offered Only Words While Shipbuilders Lost Their Jobs. According to Fox 11, Wied responded to the Navy's cancellation by saying he would "'continue to fight for our shipbuilders and work with my House colleagues and the Trump Administration to ensure we provide significant and consistent funding for future shipbuilding projects right here in Wisconsin's 8th District.'" [Fox 11, 11/25/25]
Baldwin Called The Cancellation A Decision That "Pulls The Rug Out" From Skilled Wisconsin Workers. According to Fox 11, Sen. Tammy Baldwin said, "'The frigate program is held up by the thousands of skilled Wisconsin workers, and the administration's decision pulls the rug out from under them and puts their livelihoods at risk.'" [Fox 11, 11/25/25]
Saputo Closed Its Suamico Plant, Eliminating 240 Jobs In The Heart Of Wied's District. According to Fox 11, Saputo Cheese USA closed its manufacturing plant in Suamico — just outside Green Bay — by the end of December 2025, laying off 240 workers. The closure had been announced years earlier as part of a consolidation moving operations to southeastern Wisconsin. [Fox 11, 9/8/25]
Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry's CEO Said Tariffs Were Destroying Demand And Forcing Layoffs. According to NBC 26, Sachin Shivaram, CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc, explained that 50% tariffs on imported aluminum have "increased the cost of a key input material for us," noting that "primary aluminum is something that's always going to be imported into the United States, no matter what kind of tariffs we put on." The company laid off 150 to 200 workers across its facilities due to decreased demand. [NBC 26, Viewed 2/16/26]
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." [Urban Milwaukee, 1/23/26]
No Business Leader In Milwaukee Was "Celebrating" Tariffs. According to Urban Milwaukee, MMAC President and CEO Dale Kooyenga said, "'It's almost unanimous concern, and I have not spoken to any business leader celebrating the tariffs.'" He noted companies facing immediate cash flow problems from tariff costs upon delivery "in a time when interest rates are high." [Urban Milwaukee, 4/7/25]
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 Was One Of The Most Active Stock Traders In Wisconsin's Congressional Delegation. According to the Badger Project, Wied, "a wealthy businessman elected to Congress in 2024, is very active in the stock market compared to other members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation." His October periodic transaction report alone listed 11 transactions valued between $1.6 million and $6.5 million combined. [Badger Project, 1/13/26]
Wied Moved Between $1 Million And $5 Million Into Treasury Bills As Stock Market Turmoil Mounted. According to NEW Media, Wied purchased between $1 million and $5 million in U.S. Treasury bills in October — "a slow-growing but safe asset" — as congressional stock trading came under scrutiny following a surge of trades around President Trump's tariff announcements that briefly crashed the market. [NEW Media, 1/13/26]
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]
Oshkosh Resident Said Rising Prices Were Forcing Her To Cut Back On Basics. According to Urban Milwaukee, Abigail Godkin of Oshkosh said, "'I definitely don't treat myself to things as much just to make sure we have groceries instead.'" [Urban Milwaukee, 1/23/26]
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]
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]
Teachers' Union Leader Told Wied To "Do Your Job And Represent All Your Constituents." According to WFRV, Jon Shelton of the American Federation of Teachers said, "'Do your job (Tony Wied) and represent all your constituents. Represent the teachers, the working families, and the kids in your community.'" [WFRV, 7/30/25]