To the editor,

Shallow, unwarranted indignation may be free for politicians to express, but it costs us taxpayers money when worthless bills make it all the way through the Wisconsin Legislature to the governor’s desk. Tom Tiffany’s recent political temper tantrum regarding 2025 Assembly Bill 308 (AB 308) is a perfect example.

Blustering and grandstanding in his gubernatorial run, Tiffany championed passage of this unnecessary bill and is now outraged over Governor Evers’ veto of it. The bill is trying to ban what is already banned: taxpayer money subsidizing healthcare for undocumented immigrants. Not only did the bill waste time and energy, it amounted to nothing more than political theater.

Under existing law, people “not lawfully present in the United States” already do not qualify for Wisconsin’s two largest medical care programs: BadgerCare or Medicaid. There are two types of “free” healthcare in Wisconsin available for undocumented immigrants: 1) immediate medical care in the form of emergency room treatment, which is required by federal law that applies to all states; and 2) prenatal care, which also is required by federal law that applies to all states. 

I, for one, support providing emergency room and prenatal medical care to all people in our community because it’s the humane, decent, and lawful thing to do, and it actually benefits all Wisconsinites by keeping us all healthier. 

Besides that, working immigrants–both documented and undocumented alike–financially contribute to operations of our local, state, and federal government programs. They contribute to Social Security and Medicare –even though undocumented people cannot collect Social Security or qualify for Medicare benefits. They pay lots of other taxes, too. In 2022, undocumented immigrants alone contributed over $240 million to Wisconsin in state and local taxes, as reported by the University of Wisconsin's School for Workers.

In comparison, Tom Tiffany is squandering our public funds by pushing the passage of a needless bill. We should expect more of the same if he ever becomes governor. Next November, don’t give him any more opportunities to waste Wisconsin's money and time. Tom Tiffany is bad for Wisconsin.

Laurie Harmon

Hudson