Gov. Tony Evers
Press Release

Gov. Evers Opposes USDA’s Proposal to Boot Kids, Farmers, Families From Food Assistance

"We cannot afford to have nearly 12,000 children in our state go hungry."

By - Aug 29th, 2019 07:00 am

MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers today, along with governors from 16 other states, signed and submitted a letter voicing opposition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposal to essentially eliminate Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE) from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), effectively rendering kids, farmers, and families ineligible for critical food assistance.

Since it was established 55 years ago, SNAP has proven to be one of the most effective anti-hunger programs in the country. The USDA’s proposal is expected to affect more than three million people across the United States, and will make it harder for nearly 40,000 people in Wisconsin to make ends meet and put food on their table. The rule not only affects working Wisconsinites, but will also put thousands of Wisconsin’s kids in jeopardy of losing access to free and reduced-price meals at school while making it more difficult for working families to provide for healthy food for their kids at home.

“What’s best for our kids is what’s best for our state. We cannot afford to have nearly 12,000 children in our state go hungry,” Gov. Evers said. “We should be making it easier for our kids, farmers, seniors, people with disabilities, and working families to have access healthy foods, not harder.”

Earlier this year, Lt. Gov. Barnes testified in opposition of the rule at a hearing before Congress.

“Broad-based categorical eligibility helps lift families out of poverty: it’s helping farmers, caregivers, and factory workers all across our state,” Lt. Gov. Barnes said in his testimony. “These individuals are contributing members of our society and taxpayers—but unfortunately, low-wages and high expenses like childcare and rent, are making it hard for them to make ends meet. Broad-based categorical eligibility provides needed relief for these families—and it promotes work. Eliminating it would have dangerous repercussions in our state.”

BBCE is a policy that requires states to enroll eligible applicant households in SNAP for food assistance if they’re already qualified for other benefits limited to low-income people, most notably benefits funded under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. States utilize BBCE to adopt less restrictive income and asset tests and to better coordinate SNAP with other state-operated programs, resulting in an increase in low-income households accessing the food assistance they need while also making SNAP easier and less costly for states to administer.

Office of the Governor

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.

Mentioned in This Press Release

Recent Press Releases by Gov. Tony Evers

Gov. Evers Signs Bipartisan Pro-Kid Budget- “This is a Win for Wisconsin’s Kids, Families, and Communities”

Gov. Evers enacts 2025-27 budget to do what’s best for kids and working families by lowering out-of-pocket costs for child care and energy bills, cutting taxes for retirees and middle-class families, making historic investments in the UW System, increasing spendable revenue for schools and special education reimbursement rates, investing in healthcare, local communities, and infrastructure, and supporting Wisconsin’s farmers and veterans

Gov. Evers Signs Two Bills Advancing Nuclear Energy Innovation in Wisconsin

Governor signs four additional bills filling gaps to ensure kids in crisis can get the close-to-home care they need, strengthening support for statewide child advocacy centers, and supporting workplace safety for local police and fire

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us