— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” features a special segment with Tom Still and Buckley Brinkman discussing data center development, the future of AI and more.
Brinkman is the former executive director and CEO of the Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing & Productivity, and a frequent opinion contributor to WisBusiness.com. Still is the past president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, an advisor to Competitive Wisconsin and author of the weekly opinion column, “Inside Wisconsin.”
“It seems to be very much a love-hate relationship right now,” Still said of the state’s data center wave and shifting public opinion. “You can see that there are some data center sites that are either under construction or proposed, and some of them might be going quite well. Other places, it’s sort of a mess, to be honest.”
Both guests weigh in on the negative trend in public views around data centers, with Still noting opposition often stems from a dislike for AI as “the two topics often blend together” for people.
“There are a lot of things out there that would, especially in news media, that would tell people that AI is somehow evil,” Still said. “I don’t see enough about all of the potential uses in AI that could be actually ideal for Wisconsin’s economy.”
Brinkman agreed “it’s so easy to go negative” on AI and data centers but emphasized the positive impacts of the technology, pointing to breakthrough applications in the medical field that have resulted in fewer infections.
“There are, you know, dozens of examples of where AI has been used to really help team human be better, and I think that a lot of times we ignore that half of it,” Brinkman said.
The conversation also touches on some lessons learned from the state’s experience with Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn in southeastern Wisconsin.
“I think data centers fall into that same category,” Brinkman said. “They can be very beneficial for the state, as long as we’re being smart going in the way we negotiate them and the terms we put in the contracts.”
Brinkman and Still also discuss the impact of foreign direct investment in Wisconsin and how the state can leverage its strengths to be competitive, as well as ripple effects from Wisconsin’s startup ecosystem and this fall’s elections.
Listen to the podcast here and see the full list of WisBusiness podcasts.
— The top U.S. trade official during a gathering of diplomats in Milwaukee sought to downplay the importance of international trade when pressed on tariff costs hitting American companies including Harley-Davidson.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer yesterday spoke with reporters during the second day of the G20 Trade Ministerial, touting the Trump administration’s trade policies and economic gains during the president’s second term. Trade ministers were scheduled to join a closing reception last night hosted by Greer at the Harley-Davidson Museum.
Greer was asked about tariff costs for Harley-Davidson — which reported $67 million in increased tariff costs for last year — as well as other Wisconsin businesses doing business globally. He noted the motorcycle manufacturer had “many times throughout their history” asked for tariffs to shield it from competition overseas.
Greer said the business’ leadership hasn’t approached the USTR office or asked for any particular relief on tariffs, calling Harley-Davidson “a great company” because it sources much of its materials domestically.
After being asked what assurances he can provide companies like Harley, Greer emphasized that tariffs are targeting foreign goods produced by foreign economies. He argued companies can avoid tariff costs by going through U.S.-based suppliers.
“Sometimes you hear people say … the number one trading partner of X state is Canada or Mexico, and while that may be true for foreign trading [partners], the most important trading partner for any given company is typically other Americans in the United States,” Greer said.
Canada and Mexico are Wisconsin’s leading trade partners, topping the list for both imports and exports in 2025 and eclipsing most other countries, according to the latest WEDC report on state trade data. State officials have recently raised concerns about the impact in Wisconsin of developing trade conflicts with Canada.
But Greer argued international trade is just one portion of the U.S. economy.
“Out of a $30 trillion economy, $3 trillion of that is international trade and $2 trillion is imports, so that’s a relatively small slice of a very broad and robust American economy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Greer yesterday announced G20 ministers had reached a consensus on issuing a collective statement condemning the “weaponization of trade in food,” a new topic of discussion for member nations.
“This is an important step toward ensuring that agricultural topics are not used as a tool for economic or political coercion,” he said.
But ministers this week did not reach consensus on other top issues at hand, Greer said, including cracking down on forced labor and addressing “excess capacity and production” in certain markets such as steel, batteries, chemicals and more. He said discussions on overcapacity were “constructive” despite the lack of consensus.
Greer also criticized the “unconditional most favored nation principle” or MFN in international trade, arguing this approach entails treating every foreign trade partner the same regardless of differences.
“In [the] U.S. case, implementing MFN would mean that the UK and China should be treated the same, or Vietnam and Ecuador should be treated the same … for us, we think that the principle of unconditional most favored nation warrants reform,” he said. “We think it actually fails to promote reciprocity and balance in the trading system.”
— State officials announced employers in Wisconsin will now pay 1.97% less on average in worker’s compensation insurance rates, resulting in $36 million in estimated savings over the coming year.
The state Department of Workforce Development and Office of the Commissioner of Insurance yesterday said this year’s rate decrease is the 11th in a row. These rates are adjusted annually by a committee of actuaries from members of the Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau.
DWD cautions that actual premiums vary by employer based on various factors such as likelihood of injury on the job.
— WMC has launched a digital ad campaign spotlighting healthcare costs in Wisconsin and touting GOP guv hopeful Tom Tiffany’s work to “make healthcare affordable” for families in the state.
The 30-second ad says hospital costs in Wisconsin are 26% higher than in Illinois, arguing “Wisconsin families can’t afford hospital markups.” A narrator says Tiffany is working to improve healthcare affordability and urges viewers to “call Tom Tiffany, thank him for supporting hospital price transparency.”
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce yesterday announced the ad from the WMC Issues Mobilization Council, saying it’s running statewide on digital platforms. In the release, WMC says hospital costs in Wisconsin are the fourth-highest in the nation, and overall healthcare costs are the second-highest.
“Healthcare is one of the only services consumers pay for without knowing the price upfront,” the group wrote. “This lack of transparency is a major reason costs remain so high.”
— The Department of Health Services’ outlook for the Medicaid fund improved slightly in the most recent quarter after the agency used a maneuver to keep more money in the program.
The agency now projects the Medicaid fund to have a deficit of $269.2 million in general purpose revenue when the biennium ends June 30, an improvement of $53.2 million compared to what it expected three months ago.
The expected shortfall amounts to 2.8% of the nearly $9.7 billion budgeted for the program in the 2025-27 biennium.
The state gets federal matching funds for services that school districts deliver. When that money comes in, 60% goes to the school with the rest going to the state general fund. Instead of putting that 40% into the general fund, the agency has kept that money in the Medicaid program to help shore up its finances.
DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson wrote to the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee the move is consistent with statutory intent that federal revenue be used to offset the GPR share of Medicaid benefits, and the agency plans to take the same approach in fiscal year 2026-27.
She added that retaining the funds improved the projected deficit in the Medicaid fund by $122.4 million in GPR and that approach “does not affect the amount of revenues that school districts receive for Medicaid services under current state law.”
— The U.S. Senate voted down an effort by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin to overturn a Trump administration rule she says is a “backdoor attempt” to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins joined Dems in the unsuccessful attempt to undo the rule using the Congressional Review Act, in a 48-51 vote.
The rule, finalized in May, will put into place stricter verification requirements and eliminate standardized plan mandates for insurers. It also establishes new healthcare plans, some of which have higher out-of-pocket costs or lack dedicated networks of doctors and hospitals.
Attorney General Josh Kaul joined a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general in July in filing a lawsuit to vacate the rule.
Baldwin, D-Madison, says the policy forces people to pay more for worse care.
“This misguided policy, which Republicans and the president own, will jack up out-of-pocket costs and deductibles on millions, pile on red tape, and reduce coverage for essential things like addiction treatment, hearing aids and more,” Baldwin said Monday on the Senate floor.
See more from the latest DC Wrap.
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.
— The National Endowment for Financial Education issued Wisconsin a “C” grade for its efforts to boost financial literacy among high schoolers.
The NEFE, based in Denver, yesterday published its 2026 National Report Card on State Efforts to Improve Financial Literacy in High Schools, the sixth in the series. The first five reports were issued by the Center for Financial Literacy in Vermont starting in 2013, but the NEFE has taken over the effort going forward.
John Pelletier, senior fellow with the endowment, notes Wisconsin has had personal finance standards for nearly a decade but implementation is up to school districts.
“Most school districts offer a standalone course in financial literacy, but data shows that less than half of students attend a high school where taking a standalone course is required,” Pelletier said in a statement on the findings for Wisconsin. “42% of students attend a high school that offers a standalone personal finance course as an elective.”
While the state kept its “C” grade this year, the NEFE projects that will improve to an “A” by 2028, when a new law takes effect requiring a half-year personal financial literacy course to be taught, covering “key topics” in this field.
TOP STORIES
Wisconsin among states suing Trump administration over rollback of power plant rules
Oracle data center deal could lower We Energies electric bills
Wisconsin tech, business leaders weigh data centers, evolving energy landscape
TOPICS
AGRIBUSINESS
– Lafayette County livestock permit faces appeal review
CONSTRUCTION
– Milwaukee County supervisors advance massive courthouse project
ECONOMY
– Trade ministers gather in Milwaukee ahead of G20 summit
– G20 trade talks yield little progress while tensions simmer
EDUCATION
– UW Extension’s Dane County office has new leader, ‘big shoes to fill’
– UW professors say teaching mandate leaves less time for students
ENVIRONMENT
– Menasha schools launch new ‘Bluetique’ supply center
MANAGEMENT
– Johnson Controls exec Julie Brandt to leave company
MANUFACTURING
– Mayville Engineering acquires facility in Georgia to serve data center market
REAL ESTATE
– Water Street bar owner purchases its building
TOURISM
– Jeopardy! Bar League is coming to Green Bay, and Ben Chan is hosting
PRESS RELEASES
See these and other press releases
DeWitt LLP: Welcomes two new associates to Wisconsin and Minnesota offices
