Counties, Faith Leaders, Health Pros to Legislators: Keep Food on the Table for 700,000 Wisconsinites

In an effort to protect critical food support for thousands of Wisconsinites, local nonprofit organizations are urging members of the Wisconsin State Legislature to fully and immediately support the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ (DHS) request for funding to pay for changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, known as FoodShare in Wisconsin) mandated by the federal government. DHS estimates that $69.2 million in General Purpose Revenue will be needed to implement the changes signed into law in July through the megabill and avoid up to $200 million in federal fees.

The changes to SNAP include:

• Starting October 1, 2026, the federal government will cut the portion of SNAP administrative costs it pays by 25%, leaving the remainder to be paid by the state. This cut will cost Wisconsin an estimated $32.4 million every two years.
• Expanding work requirements to include adults through age 64 (up from the previous age of 54), if there is not a child under age 14 in their home. This change will impact approximately 43,700 Wisconsinites.
• The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) estimates that it will cost $20.7 million to cover the increased costs associated with a significant rise in participation in the FoodShare Employment and Training (FSET) program, which is designed to help program participants train for and find employment.
• For the first time in history, threatening to make the state cover some of SNAP’s benefit costs traditionally covered by the federal government, based on its program error rate. This could cost Wisconsin taxpayers up to $205.5 million annually. DHS is requesting $16.1 million for additional state and county staff to maintain an error rate below 6%.

Without additional state funding, Wisconsin families, seniors, and kids are at risk of losing access to vital basic food necessities. One possible catastrophic outcome is the loss of all SNAP resources in Wisconsin, which would put significant additional hardship on nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites who rely on the program to help feed their families.

A loss of any SNAP benefits will also hurt Wisconsin’s farmers, grocers, and local economies. For every $1 in SNAP benefits, working families across Wisconsin generate $1.50 for our state’s economy by shopping at local stores and farmers markets.

Almost 100 organizations, representing counties, health care professionals, food banks, and more are part of the coalition.

Read the full letter sent to Wisconsin legislators here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.