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Jeff Smith: “County hospitals aren't receiving federal money and there's…”

Featuring: Jeff Smith, Democratic | Wisconsin State Senate, District 31

Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26

Published April 10, 2026 | Video Starts at 17:51

There's a good one right there. But that's how it works. And so, yes, hospital bed tax. Right. But the county. I think that there is a difference because the County hospitals aren't receiving federal money and there's very few left to come. County hospitals. And it's. Right. It's unfortunate because we really need them. Yeah. Yeah. So. So again, it's one tax on top of another tax. (17:51–17:56)

CLAIM

Asserts that county hospitals are not receiving federal money and their numbers are dwindling.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Jeff Smith

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“Every school district in our state now has had referendum over the last decade or so.”
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“We promised to go to 45% state funding for special ed and we're going to be back at 32% or something where we have been at instead.”
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“Ever since this voucher system got expanded all the way across the state, all private schools are eligible for vouchers.”
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“For the year of 2025, we had introduced 408 bills and gotten nine public hearings.”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 29:55-30:03
“None of them [the bills] got to the floor and had a vote on them.”
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“It took years, unfortunately, to extend postpartum for Medicaid patients from six weeks to a year.”
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“Gail's law, which was to mandate that insurance companies do have to cover for dense breast examinations for breast cancer.”
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“The subsidies that are available to child care centers and to families who need it are ending in June.”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 03:41-03:50
“We did nothing to supplement that or to extend that through to the next budget.”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 03:50-03:58
“We expect some centers are going to close.”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 04:10-04:12
“There are what we call childcare deserts already throughout Wisconsin, but particularly in rural Wisconsin.”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 05:09-05:17
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“I had a bill I introduced that did not make it. Republicans never brought it to vote to cap the rate increases that can occur.”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 07:29-07:45
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Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 08:32-08:38
“We also have a rainy day fund that's I can't remember, I think that's 1.6 billion or something like that.”
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“There are going to be 70 some or 90 some referendums this year from school districts in our state.”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 09:35-09:43
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Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 14:08-14:16
“You elect school boards in your public system. You don't elect the officials in your private schools who make decisions and spend your…”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 14:24-14:33
“We had to pass a budget before July 4 last year when Trump was going to sign his big bill and that bill was going to cut us off…”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 16:20-16:52
“We had to raise that hospital assessment, which is a hospital bed tax.”
Jeff Smith Show: 4-3-26 | Uploaded April 10, 2026 | 17:02-17:07
“We were the lowest in the country to raising it to want to be with pretty much along with everybody other state, but a higher, much higher…”
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“We went through this whole session and still couldn't get approval from a joint finance committee to move that money.”
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“The argument was from the Republicans were they really didn't want the DNR to be able to have to go after the chemical manufacturers.”
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