TRUMP CAMPAIGNS WHILE WISCONSIN SUFFERS HIS FAILURES
Washington, D.C. – As recent polls show Donald Trump falling behind in Wisconsin, the president is headed to the state tomorrow to stump for his reelection while ignoring the severe economic and health issues Wisconsinites are facing due to his failed leadership.
There are good reasons why: Trump’s anti-science, anti-climate agenda is a losing message in Wisconsin. Three out of five Wisconsinites are worried about climate change and just as many think President Trump and Congress should do more to address climate change, according to polling from Yale University.
Trump has not publicly scheduled outreach to communities impacted by COVID-19, even as cases in the state rise at near-record rates.
As you’re covering Trump’s visit and his posturing on national security, please keep in mind these facts about his actual record for keeping Americans safe:
- Donald Trump’s own defense industry has called climate change a “threat multiplier.” Trump calls it a “hoax.”
- More than two-thirds of the military’s “operationally critical” installations are threatened by climate change.
- A Pentagon assessment of 79 Army, Air Force, and Navy installations found that 53 face threats from flooding, 43 face threats from drought, and 36 face threats from wildfires.
- Extreme heat impedes military testing and training, as more outdoor exercises and events are suspended, delayed, or canceled due to climate change.
Trump’s climate denial not only threatens our national security — it hurts Wisconsin’s economy. If Trump listened to experts and took action to protect the U.S. from climate change, Wisconsin has the potential to be a clean energy leader.
- Renewable electricity provided more jobs in Wisconsin than fossil fuels last year, despite Trump’s war on clean energy and rolling back popular car fuel efficiency standards. In 2019, Wisconsin had 5,410 jobs in renewable electricity generation, compared to 3,513 jobs in electricity generation from fossil fuel sources.
- Clean energy provides jobs for rural Wisconsinites while Trump has killed 622,000 green energy jobs in his first term. In 2019, Wisconsin was ranked 17th for clean energy employment, with 76,685 jobs, and 4th for clean energy jobs in rural areas, with 19,513 jobs. In 2019, the state was home to nearly 2,871 jobs in the solar industry and 1,001 to 2,000 direct jobs in the wind industry.
- By denying science and climate change, Trump is threatening Wisconsin’s agricultural industry. Climate change causes dairy cows to produce less milk, makes cows more susceptible to infertility, and reduces crop yields by nearly 10%. In Wisconsin, the agricultural industry supports nearly 12% of the state economy and 435,700 jobs.
- Failure to act on climate change is expensive — and Trump is only adding to the cost. Since Trump assumed office, Wisconsin has experienced 5 climate-related disasters responsible for a total of $17 billion in damages.