Baldwin, Tammy

Tammy Baldwin represents Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate and serves as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies within the Senate Committee on Appropriations. As ranking member of the minority party, Baldwin shapes the opposition's priorities on this subcommittee, which controls federal spending for critical domestic agencies including the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education. This position gives her significant influence over budget negotiations and allows her to advocate for her policy priorities within the appropriations process.

Baldwin's background as a lawyer and her decades of public service inform her work on these committees. She earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and practiced law before entering the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1993. She later served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before her election to the Senate in 2012. Her legislative record reflects a progressive focus on healthcare, reproductive rights, and labor protections—areas directly relevant to her appropriations subcommittee responsibilities.

Beyond her appropriations role, Baldwin holds memberships on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where she serves as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness, and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She has sponsored numerous bills addressing healthcare access, LGBTQ+ youth services, workplace safety, and other social priorities. Since 2017, she has served as secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus, a leadership position reflecting her standing within her party.

Baldwin has been reelected twice since her initial Senate victory in 2012, most recently in 2024. She holds the distinction of being the first openly LGBTQ person and first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin, and she has maintained a consistent progressive voting record throughout her congressional career.