Frederica Freyberg:

Wisconsin’s other US senator has just been named to the powerful Appropriations committee. Democratic senator, Tammy Baldwin, will serve on the committee that oversees how the federal government spends your money. It’s a panel that her predecessor, Wisconsin senator Herb Kohl, served on for two decades, and traditionally enables members to direct federal funds to their home states. This week, Senator Tammy Baldwin joins us from Washington with her take on the new Republican-controlled congress and action ahead in 2015. And, Senator, thanks very much for doing so.

Tammy Baldwin:

I’m delighted to, thank you.

Frederica Freyberg:

Before we talk about your committee assignment, what is your reaction to the restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba?

Tammy Baldwin:

I think it’s a very positive step forward, and I think it has lots of opportunities for Wisconsin. You know, it’s pretty clear that our policies over five decades have not worked in effectuating the changes that we want to see. I think that more open relations, normalized relations will have a much better chance of effecting those changes, seeing a more democratic Cuba. But also it will open up some economic opportunities for Wisconsin. You know, the agriculture community in Wisconsin has long pushed for some of the changes that the president has announced. And I think that is really good news for our farmers and our state.

Frederica Freyberg:

A question, too, about the trillion dollar spending bill just passed in Washington. Even with some progressive factions in congress opposed to the spending bill over some of the provisions that would weaken Wall Street regulation and loosen campaign finance laws, you voted, yes, on that. Why did you do that?

Tammy Baldwin:

Well, let’s look at this package. It was obviously the funding package for all the government departments except for one, Homeland Security, and it is a bipartisan package that does a lot of very important positive things for Wisconsin which I can speak to in a moment. It had three provisions within the larger bill that I found very objectionable, and yet because we still have a divided government with a Democratic senate and a Republican-led house, there was the ability, the leverage, to keep out a lot of other really bad provisions. The Republicans actually wanted to put in, I think, almost a dozen measures that would have weakened the Dodd-Frank legislation that reined in Wall Street excesses. It’s not a complete victory that only one remained in this bill, but certainly that leverage was exercised. And I look at what would have happened had we not passed it. There would have been a government shutdown and these decisions would have been tossed into the future, where Republicans will control both houses of congress. Now, in terms of the positive news, there’s a lot in this measure that helped working families, people trying to get ahead, and Wisconsin. Investments in the National Institutes for Health to increase research and innovation, investments in our work force readiness and helping dislocated workers, helping parents, working parents, be able to afford child care. And the list goes on. So I think bringing certainty, having a budget that actually goes through the fall of 2015 for a change, because that hasn’t happened in a while, is really important. There are, as I said, three very concerning amendments that were added, and I’m going to fight those tooth and nail in the year to come, as well as completing the job on funding the Homeland Security department.

Frederica Freyberg:

What would– If you could just enumerate, briefly, the three very objectionable items?

Tammy Baldwin:

Well, I’d start with the provision that weakened Dodd-Frank with regard to, basically, building a firewall between the banks' risky investments and other types of investments. You know, when I first came to the House of Representatives years ago, I voted against repeal of Glass-Steagall, thinking it was so important that there be firewalls between risky investments and not. And I want to fight the provision that was added by the Republicans in the house at the last minute, again, tooth and nail this next session, where I think we can expect some more shenanigans by those who are carrying Wall Street’s water. We can’t do that in the congress. We have to have safe investments for our nation. A second provision is relating to, what they’re called is multi-employer pensions. And I think that that debate is so important that we should have had it in the light of day, not tucked into a bill like this that was flying through. We really need to have a full debate on what to do about some of the pension programs in this country that face bankruptcy or on very shaky financial ground. And the third provision that I found very objectionable was one that changes our campaign finance laws yet again, attracting more and more money into the political process. We should be fighting in the opposite direction to rein in the excesses of Citizens United decision and taking more money out of politics.

Frederica Freyberg:

Here you sit now in the minority. How will it change for Democratic senators like yourself now that the chamber is held by Republicans?

Tammy Baldwin:

You know, I have to say that while the majority in the senate is going to change come January 6, my role as a senator fighting for Wisconsinites is not going to change one bit. That’s what I came here to do, to help build a stronger manufacturing base in the state. You know, Wisconsin’s always been a big manufacturing state, but it’s taken a real kick in the gut in recent years. And we need to build back that base, because I really don’t think you can have an economy that’s built to last that doesn’t make things in addition to its service economy. I also will be fighting for innovation and educational programs that certainly are things that we have valued in Wisconsin, a state that has placed huge priority on education and innovation as being one of the best ways to achieve the American dream and help hard-working families get ahead and the next generation achieve better than the last. And we’ve stalled in that regard, and I plan to continue to wage those fights in the next congress.

Frederica Freyberg:

So just very briefly, with less than a half a minute left, and I’m sorry about that, on the Appropriations committee, do you have specific priorities in that regard?

Tammy Baldwin:

Well, I have to say first thing out of the box is going to be to continue funding for the Homeland Security department. Unfortunately, that’s only funded through February. And that seems to me to be the Republicans playing political games because of the president’s executive order on immigration. But we have some serious matters happening. Look at the recent cyber attacks. These are responsibilities of the Homeland Security department. We need certainty. And that will be one of the first jobs out of the gate when we resume in January.

Frederica Freyberg:

Senator Tammy Baldwin, thank you very much for joining us.

Tammy Baldwin:

Thank you.