Wisconsin FoodShare Program to Run Out of Funding in Nine Days

Gov. Evers Urges Trump Administration to Use Available Federal Funding to Extend Food Assistance into November
 
Nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites Days Away from Losing Access to Basic Food Necessities

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today urged the Trump Administration to take swift and immediate steps to use readily available federal funding sources to extend food assistance into November and prevent nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites who rely on FoodShare from losing access to basic food and groceries when the program funding runs out in just nine days. Gov. Evers, in a new letter to Trump Administration U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, urged the Trump Administration to exercise USDA powers already authorized under federal law that enable the department to transfer funds to sustain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during a lapse in appropriations.

“Empty cupboards and stomachs are not abstract outcomes. They are the very real and near consequences of the dysfunction in Washington. These are also consequences you can prevent today,” the governor wrote to the Trump Administration. “Wisconsin’s FoodShare program will run out of federal funding in a matter of days—not weeks, days. Stopping FoodShare payments due to the ongoing federal government shutdown stands to affect nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites across our state, including kids, families, veterans, and seniors, who may lose access to basic food necessities.”

“The Trump Administration must immediately use every legal administrative option available to it to maintain food security and continuity in Wisconsin and to develop immediate solutions to mitigate any preventable lapse in providing basic necessities like food and groceries to kids, families, veterans, and seniors across our state,” Gov. Evers implored.

The governor’s letter today comes just one day after the Evers Administration announced Wisconsin FoodShare, which is 100 percent funded by the federal government, is now in jeopardy due to the federal government shutdown after the Trump Administration recently notified the state “there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation” and “direct[ed] States to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to State EBT vendors until further notice.” FoodShare, which is 100 percent funded by the federal government, is now in jeopardy due to the federal government shutdown and may not be available at all next month if the federal government shutdown continues, leaving nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites without access to basic food and groceries.

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.

“There is simply no justification for failing to use these same authorities to protect SNAP recipients,” the governor’s letter concluded.

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.

A copy of the governor’s letter to the Trump Administration is available here. A transcript of the letter is available below.

Dear Secretary Rollins:

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) plays a critical role in supporting Wisconsin’s kids, families, farmers, veterans, and seniors. It provides vital support to hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who, like everyone else, depend on basic necessities like food to survive. This program represents one of our most tested but important American ideals—our responsibility to care for and about our neighbors.

As I announced on Tues., Oct. 21, 2025, Wisconsin’s FoodShare program will run out of federal funding in a matter of days—not weeks, days. Stopping FoodShare payments due to the ongoing federal government shutdown stands to affect nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites across our state, including kids, families, veterans, and seniors, who may lose access to basic food necessities.

Empty cupboards and stomachs are not abstract outcomes. They are the very real and near consequences of the dysfunction in Washington. These are also consequences you can prevent today.

The Trump Administration via the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently directed states not to process SNAP benefits for the month of November and to “delay transmission to State EBT vendors until further notice.” Nevertheless, the USDA has both the authority and the obligation to continue providing funding to support SNAP programs like Wisconsin FoodShare into November, ensuring we can continue to provide people with basic necessities like food and groceries.

USDA has the tools within their authority to address this crisis now. For example, under 7 U.S.C. 2257, USDA has the authority to transfer funds to sustain SNAP benefits during a lapse in appropriations. Recently, USDA used the interchange authority to preserve WIC benefits. USDA must use all available legal authorities, and there is simply no justification for failing to use these same authorities to protect SNAP recipients.

Wisconsin stands ready to do our part. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is prepared to continue administering benefits, but we cannot do so if federal funds that are readily available are withheld from us. The Trump Administration must immediately use every legal option available to it to maintain food security and continuity in Wisconsin and to develop immediate solutions to mitigate any preventable lapse in providing basic necessities like food and groceries to kids, families, veterans, and seniors across our state.

The timeline is urgent, and the consequences are severe. Please take swift and decisive action to extend SNAP benefits as long as eligible and readily available federal funding allows.

Respectfully,

Tony Evers
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.