Molly Beck
MADISON – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Friday declared a state of emergency due to the effects of the month-long federal government shutdown, directing state officials to police price gouging and to suspend state rules that he says would hinder the state's response.
The order focuses on the shutdown's effects on food assistance programs. Nearly 700,000 Wisconsin residents receive benefits through a program known as FoodShare, which is federally funded and administered by state officials. Around 270,000 of FoodShare recipients are children.
Funding for such programs is set to evaporate Saturday, Nov. 1, because Congress has been unable to agree on a new bill to fund the federal government.
A pair of federal judges intervened in the matter on Friday, compelling the Trump administration to make available contingency funding to keep the programs alive as the shutdown persists. But Trump officials have said they disagree with that analysis of the law.
Evers' office said that unlike in other states, the Wisconsin governor cannot unilaterally spend state funds on federal programs that do not already have an appropriation.
State lawmakers must vote to create an appropriation to direct state funds to the program, or expand an existing appropriation, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Republican leaders of both legislative houses have indicated they are not supportive of the idea.
Evers issued an executive order Friday declaring a state of emergency and period of abnormal economic disruption related to the shutdown "that is jeopardizing access to critical resources and programs that are necessary for the health, safety, well-being, and economic security of Wisconsinites and calling for state agencies to take a whole-of-government response to the situation," according to his office.
The order directs the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to police price gouging while FoodShare benefits are depleted. The order requires the agency "to take any and all measures to respond, including reviewing and suspending any administrative rules that will hinder or delay the state’s response to the emergency."
Aides to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu did not immediately have a reaction to the order.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
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