By Joe Bachman
Editor

STEVENS POINT — Shortly after stopping for world-famous ice cream at Belt’s, Representative Ron Kind (D – LaCrosse) held a press conference and listening session in Stevens Point on Monday.

Held at the Lincoln Senior Center, Kind announced that he is returning $102,109.57 to the U.S. Treasury to pay down the national debt. This comes from savings in his congressional budget, and had made this an annual tradition to give back to the state taxpayers. So far, Kind has contributed nearly $2 million dollars in this fashion.

Kind fielded questions and concerns from many in attendance, ranging from such topics as health care, gun control, and a focus on his farm bill, which according to Kind, seeks to address statewide failing infrastructure, low milk prices, labor shortages, and the protection of Wisconsin farmers from potential trade retaliation.

“This farm bill gives us a chance to review the program, see what’s working and what isn’t, and make changes to it so that we’re empowering our farmers with the tools and resources that they need,” said Kind. “We export a lot of agriculture product, and Mexico is our number one export market — if we lose that right now, it could lead to the destruction of our dairy industry in the state overnight.”

This comes on the heels of calls by Kind for a fairer NAFTA deal for Wisconsin farmers.