Sunday, May 24, 2026
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Monday, January 26, 2026
Friday, January 23, 2026
Saturday, January 3, 2026
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Saturday, December 27, 2025
Monday, November 3, 2025
Trump administration says it will restore partial SNAP funding for programs like Wisconsin's FoodShare
Molly Beck
MADISON - The Trump administration said Monday it would provide partial funding for food assistance programs that are set to go dormant while the federal government shutdown continues.
The administration reversed itself on whether to release the funding after two federal judges ruled it must use contingency funds to pay for benefits for food programs, including Wisconsin's FoodShare, while the government remains shut down.
It was not immediately clear how the partial payments would be distributed in Wisconsin. A spokeswoman for Gov. Tony Evers did not immediately return a phone call from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In Wisconsin, about 700,000 Wisconsinites receive benefits from the state program known as FoodShare. As of September, the benefits totaled $115.8 million. About 270,000 recipients are children.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture initially advised that $3 billion in contingency funding could be used for administrative costs and benefit payments in the event of a shutdown. But then on Oct. 24, the agency issued a new memo saying funding cannot legally be used for such purposes.
Attorneys general in 25 states, including Wisconsin, and a group of city officials and nonprofit groups filed two lawsuits to compel the Trump administration to use the available funding. The federal judges overseeing those lawsuits sided with the plaintiffs.
Evers on Friday declared a state of emergency in Wisconsin over the FoodShare funding lapse, directing state officials to police price gouging and to suspend state rules that he says would hinder the state's response.
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.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
Saturday, November 1, 2025
Gov. Tony Evers declares state of emergency over impact of government shutdown
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.)
Posts
