‘It’s terrifying’: Wisconsinites worry about their neighbors who rely on SNAP

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared a State of Emergency Friday night, as 700,000 Wisconsinites brace for Trump’s cuts to SNAP.

“We used SNAP and WIC—I grew up on those programs.”

Isra, of Eau Claire, recalls when he was young and his family was reliant on FoodShare—that’s Wisconsin’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In a similar scenario now, where even though he has a disability and he’s a caretaker for a couple of other family members who have disabilities, he’s utilizing the SNAP program again. It provides him and his family a little reassurance.

Isra said he’s actually lucky because of his past struggles with food insecurity—he learned how to be creative and make food last.

“I’m fortunate because I grew up that way. I use recipes from the Great Depression to turn oatmeal, beans, and carrots from the food pantry into veggie burgers; dandelion greens and tomatoes into curry— not everybody’s got that,” Isra said.

“It should never have come to this”

Isra is one of about 700,000 people in Wisconsin who rely on SNAP for food assistance benefits and are at risk of losing the aid if the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and President Donald Trump do not use available funding to continue the program. Of those receiving assistance, 270,000 are children and 108,000 are senior citizens.

Late on Friday, two federal judges ruled that the Trump Administration must continue to fund (SNAP). Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) said it should never have come to this.

“The courts just confirmed what I have been saying all week: The Trump Administration was making a choice—an illegal one at that—to cruelly cut off food assistance for Wisconsinites,” Baldwin said. “This truly was politics at its worst.”

“FoodShare in Wisconsin is a lifeline for working families and ensures children can go to sleep with full stomachs. The Trump Administration needs to stop dragging its feet and get these funds out the door immediately so no family has an empty fridge.”

Baldwin said despite having billions of dollars available in emergency funding to pay for SNAP and being legally mandated to fund the program, the Trump Administration has so far refused to do so. She’s appalled that the USDA, which administers SNAP funding, had a shutdown plan on its website stating that it could use emergency funds for the program during a shutdown—but pulled that plan down and reversed course to follow Trump’s wishes.

This past week, Baldwin and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus introduced the “Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025” to direct the USDA to immediately release billions of dollars in available funds to ensure SNAP and WIC benefits continue uninterrupted for the remainder of this fiscal year. The legislation also requires the federal government to reimburse states for covering SNAP benefits during a shutdown.

To pass into law, the Act would require the following legislative steps:

• Senate Floor Vote: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) attempted a unanimous consent vote on Oct. 28, but Senate Republican leadership blocked it.
• Senate Passage: The bill could now be passed with 60 votes in the Senate. Democrats claim they have the votes, with all 47 Democratic senators plus at least 13 Republicans who have expressed support for similar SNAP funding. However, Senate Majority Leader Thune has refused to schedule a vote.
• House Passage: If it were to pass the Senate, the House of Representatives would need to vote on and approve the bill. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has called standalone funding bills a “waste of time,” had has kept the House in recess to avoid having to vote on such legislation 
• Presidential Signature: If it passed the Senate and the House, President Trump would need to sign the bill into law.

A State of Emergency

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency and a period of “abnormal economic disruption” in the Badger State due to the ongoing federal government shutdown and a lapse in FoodShare benefits.

Evers’ order directs state agencies to take “any and all necessary and appropriate measures” to address the potential FoodShare stoppage, and requires them to suspend any administrative rules if they would “prevent, hinder, or delay necessary actions to respond to the emergency.” It also directs the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to enforce prohibitions against price gouging.

“It’s not charity, it’s community”

“When we support programs like SNAP, we’re not just feeding families, we’re strengthening the entire community—every child who goes to bed with a full stomach, every parent who can focus on work instead of hunger, every landlord who can count on rent being paid. All of that adds up to a healthier, more resilient community,” said Semone Thomas, a Wisconsin SNAP advocate. “Because in the end, food security is not charity, it’s community.”

The state administers about $115 million per month in FoodShare benefits, all of which is funded by the federal government, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

“It’s $115 million a month that the SNAP system puts into Wisconsin—$115 million per month that the grocery stores won’t have coming in,” said Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire). “Our grocery stores are hanging on—especially in the rural areas.”

“I think about the little grocery stores—in Bloomer, in Augusta, or Osseo—and losing these SNAP benefits may put them out of business. When benefits resume, there’s going to be no place for those people in those communities for people to buy their food.”

Food service providers across Wisconsin say they’ve felt a squeeze in recent months, as household costs have increased and federal programs for the needy have been canceled. Now, with the prospect of a pause in federal food assistance looming, they’re bracing for a spike in need.

Dan Giguere is on the Community Table Board of Directors, a non-profit group in Eau Claire that serves free meals every day to those who need them. Giguere said more people are turning to the organization to eat.

“Here at the Community Table we’ve had increased numbers already and we don’t know what to expect in the future,” Giguere said. “I just hope we’ll be able to support those who lose their SNAP benefits.”

“Unfortunately those in Washington can’t relate to us here.”

“This is what we’re up against”

Wisconsin state Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) says GOP lawmakers who control the Legislature will not step in to cover costs for Wisconsin’s FoodShare benefits.

“My heart goes out to people, but this is a federal issue, and I don’t see the state having the resources to do that,” Felzkowski said on WISN’s ‘UPFRONT.’ “I just wish that the Democrats would sign this continuing resolution and vote for it, and let’s move on.”

Felzkowski blamed Democrats in Congress for holding up a government spending bill. Democrats say they will not support legislation that cuts subsidies for health care, which has been the sticking point during the month-long shutdown. They say any agreement must include an extension of the enhanced tax credits that have allowed people to buy affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace. Without those credits, millions of people would lose their health insurance, and the price of health insurance for just about everyone else would go up.

State Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) points to Wisconsin’s nearly $2 billion rainy day fund as proof that Republican lawmakers could help if they wanted to.

“It’s the majority party who has been running this state for three decades, and this is the ideology that we’ve had to deal with that has put us in this place in the first place—this is what we’re up against.”

State Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) emphasized the critical role community members and organizations play when federal government systems fail to meet basic needs.

“I just want to urge people to do what they can,” Emerson said. “If you can donate money to any agencies, —donate money.”

“If you don’t have the money, —volunteer, help cook the meals, help out at Feed My People Food Bank, start up a local food collection at your church, your work, your neighborhood.”

Isra is afraid for Wisconsinites who won’t have a meal and be nourished enough to go to work. “It’s terrifying,” he said. “It’s terrifying for the people in this situation.”