WED AM News: MATC leader aims to boost student earnings in years to come; DHS warns of ‘devastating’ impacts from federal budget reconciliation bill

July 16, 2025

— Milwaukee Area Technical College President Anthony Cruz aims to boost student earnings in the years to come as part of an effort to address generational poverty and get more recognition for the college.

Cruz spoke yesterday during a meeting of the Milwaukee Rotary Club, where he discussed MATC’s strategic plan for the next five years and how it could benefit students.

He noted the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education recently rolled out a new classification framework for two-year colleges, after previously only looking at research universities.

The new framework for two-year colleges focuses in part on access to education, for which Cruz says MATC already meets the highest category by providing “tremendous access” to students in the region. But another element of the Carnegie framework examines student earnings, which poses more of a challenge.

“We need to work a little bit on that,” Cruz said. “We still are not where we need to be. And right now, we’re in the third tier. And I would like to see us move to that second tier, where most two-year colleges in the country, that’s where they are.”

Ultimately, he wants to see the college move into the top tier for student earnings, calling that “essential” for increasing enrollment as well as improving social and economic mobility for its graduates.

“My commitment is to intensely focus on connecting students to careers that will truly provide family-sustaining wages,” he said.

MATC has more than 30,000 students each year, Cruz said, with most attending college part-time. The average age for students is 29 years old, he added, meaning most are balancing higher education with their jobs and families.

Cruz also touted the college’s efforts to work with Milwaukee Public Schools and UW-Milwaukee, noting the number of MATC college credits earned by high school students in the area has risen by 18% in the last two years.

“We want to grow that even further,” he said.

Watch the video at WisconsinEye.

— State health officials say the federal budget reconciliation bill will make it harder for thousands of Wisconsinites to qualify for Medicaid, warning this and other impacts will be “devastating.”

The state Department of Health Services yesterday issued a new analysis of how the federal law will impact health care and food assistance in Wisconsin. It references the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee’s estimate that 276,175 state residents will lose health coverage under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act as a result of provisions in the law.

Gov. Tony Evers says his administration will use “every tool we can” to respond to the Medicaid cuts and ensure Wisconsinites can access affordable, quality health care and other basic necessities.

“Republicans’ vote to cut popular programs like Medicaid will have a devastating impact on working families, kids, seniors, and Wisconsinites across our state,” Evers said in a statement.

In response to Evers’ statement, GOP U.S. Rep. Tony Wied said the “One Big Beautiful Bill strengthens Medicaid” for the most vulnerable Americans such as children, low-income families, disabled people and single parents.

“Our bill simply ensures that able-bodied adults with no dependents and illegal aliens are not abusing the system,” he said.

And GOP U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden argued Evers and DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson are “lying to you because they can’t admit that Republicans saved BadgerCare and protected SNAP.” In a separate statement, he said the bill includes “sensible” work requirements that are widely supported by state residents.

Under the reconciliation bill, adults aged 16-64 who don’t have dependents will need to report 80 hours per month of work, training or volunteering to qualify for Medicaid, according to the DHS overview. The agency says this provision will put about 63,000 adults in the state “at the highest risk” of losing coverage.

Another provision reduces new Medicaid enrollees’ eligibility for retroactive coverage from up to three months prior to application to two months prior, starting in 2027. And yet another provision prohibits Medicaid payments to certain community health care providers for one year if they provide for abortions other than those related to rape, incest or saving the life of the mother, DHS notes.

A temporary restraining order was issued earlier this month to pause the provision from going into effect for Planned Parenthood, but DHS says that doesn’t apply to other providers who might be affected.

“This prohibition on payments could lead to clinics closing or to financial instability of these clinics for years to come,” the agency said.

Meanwhile, the reconciliation bill expands a work requirement for food assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called FoodShare in the state. While the requirement previously applied to adults aged 54 years and younger, it now goes up to age 65 and also applies to parents with children aged 14-17 who were previously exempt, the overview shows. The state is also losing $12 million in annual funding for SNAP education, DHS says.

See the release.

— Attorney General Josh Kaul has announced plans to move forward on a settlement with opioid manufacturers that, combined with another agreement, would mean $874 million for Wisconsin and local governments.

Kaul said in a release he and 45 other attorneys general have reached an agreement that would require eight opioid manufacturers to make $720 million in abatement payments, which he said will amount to $12 million for Wisconsinites.

Kaul said the settlement hasn’t been finalized, and there will now be a sign-on period for local governments.

The AG said the new deal, combined with the recently announced proposed resolution with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, would bring in $874 million for Wisconsin and local governments.

Separately, in March, Kaul announced a settlement with Kroger, which he said would bring Wisconsin $21.8 million in opioid abatement.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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— Amtrak’s Borealis line has now carried more than 250,000 passengers between Chicago and the Twin Cities since the service started in May 2024.

The rail operator yesterday announced the milestone was reached over the July 4th weekend.

In a statement, Amtrak President Roger Harris touted the support of partners in the rail service, as it’s operated through contracts with state transportation departments in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois.

“Some of these guests have never before used Amtrak,” Harris said. “Now all of them can enjoy the benefits of train travel while avoiding the long drive on Interstate 94.”

Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Kristina Boardman calls the Borealis service a success story for all participating states.

“This 250,000-rider milestone clearly demonstrates the need for safe, reliable and efficient passenger rail travel options,” she said in Amtrak’s release.

The Borealis route includes eight stations in Wisconsin, with stops in La Crosse, Tomah, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Columbus, Milwaukee and Sturtevant.

See the release.

— The Wisconsin Technology Council is now accepting nominations and applications for the 2025 Wisconsin Innovation Awards through the end of July.

The Tech Council yesterday announced the extended application deadline for the awards, which aim to spotlight creative thinking across all sectors of the state economy. Now in its 12th year, the awards program is now being hosted Nov. 4 ahead of the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium in Madison.

“Innovation isn’t confined to tech startups,” Tech Council Vice President Angela Schlobohm said in a statement. “It thrives in all corners of Wisconsin’s economy, and we’re proud to highlight the incredible work being done across industries.”

See more on the awards here.

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