Chippewa Falls Farm Hosts Senator Tammy Baldwin on Tariffs

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis (WCFW) – A Chippewa Falls farm hosted a visit from Senator Tammy Baldwin on Wednesday as local residents shared their struggles dealing with tariffs.

Senator Baldwin took a tour of Peck Farms, speaking with a group of local farmers on the financial challenges they’ve faced since President Donald Trump began implementing tariffs on other countries.

“The President campaigned on bringing costs down,” said Senator Baldwin. “The President campaigned on bringing grocery costs down, brining other costs down, and the policies that he’s put forward have been producing just the opposite result. And we need to hold him to account to keep his campaign promises.”

Senator Baldwin proposed the passage of a new Farm Bill as a way to stabilize the financial turmoil agricultural workers have faced since January. The Farm Bill is meant to be updated every five years, but the current version was previously extended through September.

Many of the concerns shared by farmers on Wednesday echoed those raised in a town hall in Chippewa Falls earlier this year, including the rising cost of potash fertilizer from Canada, cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and difficulties with planning amid constant changes with the tariffs. In addition to those financial struggles, farmers attending that meeting also expressed concerns about accessing healthcare in rural areas amid potential cuts to Medicaid.

Shortly after Senator Baldwin’s visit to Chippewa Falls, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of International Trade blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to impose sweeping tariffs. Their ruling found that President Trump had exceeded his authority by imposing the tariffs under an emergency powers law. The administration quickly filed an appeal to that decision, which could bring the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.