Gov. Evers Delivers Weekly Radio Address Urging President Trump and Republicans to End Federal Government Shutdown, Protect Access to Basic Necessities for Kids, Families, and Seniors like Food and Groceries

Audio File of Radio Address.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address, underscoring the importance of President Trump and Republicans in Congress working with Democrats to end the ongoing federal government shutdown by extending key programs that lower healthcare costs for millions of Americans and urging the Trump Administration to do everything in their power to prevent 700,000 Wisconsinites from going hungry until they do.

This comes as, earlier this week, Gov. Evers announced that as the Republicans’ federal government shutdown continues, Wisconsin’s FoodShare program, which is 100 percent funded by the federal government through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and provides food assistance to hungry kids, families, and seniors, will run out of funding in less than 10 days.

In addition to urging President Trump and Republicans to end the federal government shutdown, Gov. Evers yesterday sent a letter urging the Trump Administration to exercise powers already authorized under federal law that enable the department to transfer funds to sustain SNAP benefits during a lapse in appropriations to ensure no Wisconsin kids, families, or seniors go hungry as the shutdown continues. The governor’s letter highlighted that the USDA has tools within their authority to address this crisis now. For example, the USDA, under 7 U.S.C. 2257, has the authority to transfer funds to sustain SNAP benefits during a lapse in appropriations, and the agency’s interchange authority allows for the temporary transfer of funds between nutrition programs—a mechanism that was recently used to preserve WIC benefits. A copy of the governor’s letter to the Trump Administration is available here.

Gov. Evers encourages Wisconsinites across the state to contact their congressional representatives and urge support for ending the federal government shutdown, extending key programs that help lower healthcare costs, and preventing hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites from going hungry. Wisconsinites can go to www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member and enter their address to find the contact information for their congressional representative and senators.

Hello! Governor Tony Evers here.

For more than 20 days now, our federal government has been shut down. And, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s going to end any time soon, folks.

Unfortunately, President Trump and Republicans aren’t willing to come to the table to work across the aisle and make sure healthcare remains affordable and accessible for millions of Americans.

And now, because of the ongoing shutdown, Wisconsin’s FoodShare program—which provides basic food and groceries to 700,000 hungry kids, families, and seniors—will run out of funding in a matter of days.

Empty cupboards and stomachs are not abstract outcomes, folks. They are a very real and near consequence of the dysfunction in Washington.

It’s why, this week, I asked the Trump Administration to use readily available federal funding to help make sure Wisconsinites can continue to access basic food necessities for as long as we can.

It’s this simple, folks: the Trump Administration must use every legal administrative option available to it to maintain food security and continuity in Wisconsin.

The federal government needs to develop immediate solutions to prevent Wisconsin’s kids, families, seniors, veterans, and so many others from losing access to basic necessities like food and groceries.

With chaotic trade wars and rising costs, Wisconsin families are already struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table.

And every day that Republicans continue this reckless and harmful shutdown is another day that our kids, families, farmers, veterans, seniors, and communities fall even further behind.

There’s no excuse for it. None.

President Trump and Republicans in Congress must work across the aisle and end this shutdown now so that Wisconsinites and Americans across our country have access to basic necessities like food and groceries that they need. Period.

Thank you.

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.