Tammy Baldwin visits Milwaukee to highlight federal efforts for small businesses, families

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin visited Milwaukee to highlight federal efforts to help families and small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, July 7.

Baldwin visited Dakonte Product Group to tour the facility and meet with the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation and minority-owned business leaders.

In addition to promoting recent federal help, she also wanted to learn what issues still remained and what could be done to help out even more.

"Small businesses struggled in access to some of the programs that were set up during the pandemic," Baldwin said. "This really deepened my knowledge of that. We want to advocate for these small businesses and make sure that these programs are working the way they're supposed to and the way congress intended."

Citlali Mendieta-Ramos with Antigua Latin Inspired Kitchen said there are is still a lot more work to be done.

"I think the main message the senator needed to hear is that there's still a lot of struggle in businesses out there, even though there are resources the government put in place for us," she said. "There's still challenges for many entrepreneurs who receive those resources."

The most recent COVID-19 relief bill, The American Rescue Plan Act, also delivers the largest expansion of the child tax credit ever. Those monthly payments start next week.