STATE FOCUS | WISCONSIN
“For this reason, it is imperative to inform and, sometimes, to counsel our clients to ensure the best possible outcomes are achieved for their application. The goal is always the same – a customer satisfied from the start of the project to well after its conclusion.”
A state that turned to Trump Back in January, Wisconsin played more than a minor role in the election of President Donald Trump. Indeed, the defeat of then Vice President Kamala Harris by a narrow margin was only the second time in the past 40 years that a Republican candidate has carried the state. Since the election, US economic and trade policy has been centre stage. The potential impact of tariffs on overseas suppliers has been a hot topic of discussion, and opinion is often polarised when it comes to the pros and cons. Tariffs clearly put a burden on importers, who have to pay significant premiums to the US government and, therefore, must pass on those additional costs to consumers. On the other hand, those additional costs could incentivise companies to develop manufacturing capacity in the US, though that requires substantial
upfront investment, higher labour costs and enough time to get domestic operations up and running.
Some local voices have expressed concern, including former Republican state senate member and current president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), Dale Kooyenga, who this summer criticised the tariffs during a webinar hosted by the Wisconsin Policy Forum (WPF). He cited the general consensus among mainstream economists from both ends of the political spectrum that tariffs are a barrier to free trade. He also noted that many businesses in the Milwaukee area had voiced concern about tariffs. With that latest round of tariff proposals including a 50% duty on copper imports, and further rises in the cost of importing steel and aluminium – all of which could hit heavy industry hard. The WPF has also commented on the 30% fall in the tonnage of goods passing through the Port of Milwaukee between the start of the year and May, attributing at least some of that decline to uncertainty around international trade and the changing landscape around tariffs.
In the short term, tariffs have at least brought uncertainty into the minds of many businesses and planning for the future is becoming harder, but there are those who believe that a long-term refocusing on domestic investment can only be good for business. “How could it not?” asks Klug. “Increasing the call for material handling is good for our sector in many ways.” The state is certainly set to continue with many of its major infrastructure projects, and its recent efforts have focused on transportation, water and broadband. A key focus has been improving safety, reliability and access to essential services across the state. In transportation, bridges have been a focus of investment in repair work and replacement, and there have been many highway projects to improve road conditions and traffic flow. Such projects come under the $55bn Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, which has been a major source of funding for Wisconsin’s infrastructure needs. At the start of the year, the state also announced that it would be investing $10.8m in new harbour infrastructure projects to bolster water freight capacity, and to improve the robustness of the supply chain to and through the state.
In the 2024 presidential election, Wisconsin tipped in favour of Donald Trump – the second time in 40 years that the state has helped carry a Republican candidate to high office.
38 Autumn 2025 |
ochmagazine.com
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