LA CROSSE, Wis. – The last time Vice President JD Vance visited La Crosse, Wisconsin, he was still a Senator from Ohio. The following day, he and now-President Donald Trump would declare victory in the 2024 election.
Nine months later, the Vice President returned to the Coulee Region Thursday to tout the President’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law on Independence Day this year. He was joined on stage by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, while a crowd that included Wisconsin 3rd District Congressman Derrick Van Orden soaked in his remarks from inside a warehouse at Mid-City Steel.
“What this bill refuses to do, and what Republicans absolutely refuse to do, is to give your hard earned benefits to people who don’t have the legal right to be in this country to begin with,” said Vice President Vance. Earlier in the day, Governor Tony Evers issued state analysis indicating the bill would cost the state $284 million in future budgets, lead to 270,000 Wisconsinites losing healthcare coverage, and significantly alter the state’s food share programs. The White House countered those remarks, stating the bill would end up saving Wisconsinites an average of $3,183 in 2026 and increasing an average family of four’s take home pay by approximately $10,000.
The crowd in La Crosse included roughly two dozen students from Onalaska Luther High School, attending the event as part of a government class.
“Well I’m glad the vice president coming to town got you guys out of school a little bit,” joked Vance.
The Vice President also remarked on the deadly shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis Wednesday, while offering a prayer and remarking that the nation is in the midst of a mental health crisis.
“We take way more psychiatric medication than any other nation on earth. And I think it’s time for us to start asking some very hard questions about the root causes of this violence,” said Vance.
The VP’s visit comes one day after Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers formally requested a presidential disaster declaration for the state following historic flooding August 9 and 10 that has already caused tens of millions of dollars in estimated damage. Vance wouldn’t guarantee the Trump administration would approve that request, noting it was still too early to formally review the Governor’s ask.
“I’m not even sure that [the President] is aware yet that the governor has issued that disaster declaration. But I will take that back to Washington, D.C. and make sure we respond to it promptly,” said Vance.
When asked by WTMJ why neither he nor President Trump toured the region like was done amid historic floods in central Texas earlier this year, Vance said the administration didn’t want to “appear for a photo op” and distract from the work of law enforcement and first responders.
“We can’t do it until the local law enforcement says we can support this without affecting the recovery and other efforts. So we would love to visit, we would love to talk to people, but some of this depends on [talks] with local law enforcement, and we don’t just want to show up for a photo op. We want to show up and actually help,” said Vance.
The President has the sole authority to sign off on a disaster declaration for the region; crews from FEMA toured flood-damaged portions of Wisconsin earlier this month, gathering preliminary damage assessments from some of the areas most impacted by the historic rainfall.
The questioning of Vance by reporters included the topic of the National Guard’s deployment to Washington D.C. under the direction of President Trump; TMJ4’s Charles Benson asked whether or not state governors would have the option to turn down the Guard’s deployment to their state.
“The President of the United States is not going out there forcing this on anybody. Though we do think that we have the legal right to clean up America’s streets if we want to,” responded Vance. ”What the President has said is very simply, ’why don’t you invite us in?’ Is Milwaukee a super safe city right now? It’s had some crime problems. It’s a beautiful city. There are a lot of beautiful, incredible, hard working people who live there. But let’s be honest, Milwaukee has had some crime problems.”
Governor Evers previously voiced his disapproval of President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard during anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles earlier this year.
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