Dems, GOP spar over shutdown as benefits set to run out

Political tongues were wagging and fingers pointing this past week as Democrats and Republicans traded blame for the second-longest federal government shutdown in history — which, if it continues, could threaten federal food assistance for nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites.

Specifically, funds to fully pay November food stamp beneficiaries could run out. However, officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Federal Nutrition Service (FNS) hinted that contingency plans could be in the works, and all sides acknowledged that President Donald Trump has the authority to transfer funds to cover the payments.

Gov. Tony Evers sounded the alarm last week, warning that Wisconsin’s FoodShare program — funded entirely by the federal government — would run out of money within days unless the Trump administration acted to extend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamp, funding into November.

“Empty cupboards and stomachs are not abstract outcomes,” Evers wrote in a letter to USDA secretary Brooke Rollins. “They are the very real and near consequences of the dysfunction in Washington. These are also consequences you can prevent today. Wisconsin’s FoodShare program will run out of federal funding in a matter of days — not weeks, days.”

The governor urged the administration to use its legal authority under federal law to temporarily shift available funds between nutrition programs, as it did recently to preserve benefits under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.

“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,” Evers wrote. “… There is simply no justification for failing to use these same authorities to protect SNAP recipients.”

The plea followed an Oct. 10 letter to the state from the USDA warning that there would be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million people if the shutdown continued. The letter cautioned state officials to prepare for contingencies.

“FNS appreciates and understands that states have questions regarding operation of the program, and has begun the process of fact finding and information gathering to be prepared in case a contingency plan must be implemented,” the letter stated. “With that in mind, we understand that several states would normally begin sending November benefit issuance files to their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) vendors soon. Considering the operational issues and constraints that exist in automated systems, and in the interest of preserving maximum flexibility, we are forced to direct states to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to state EBT vendors until further notice.”

In Wisconsin, Department of Health Services secretary Kirsten Johnson advised FoodShare recipients that November benefits may not be available. 

“Members who have benefits on their cards may want to stock up on food items that don’t go bad — canned goods, boxed items, with their benefits before the end of October,” Johnson said.

Shutdown showdown

The shutdown, which entered its fourth week at the end of last week, stems from an impasse between congressional Republicans and Democrats over extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Democrats say the expiration of the subsidies will cause Obamacare premiums to soar; Republicans say the enhanced benefits were temporary Covid relief, and the subsidies, if extended, will flow to illegal immigrants.

Evers accused Republicans of being reckless.

“There’s no excuse for it. None,” he said. “No person should ever go hungry — most especially not in the United States of America. President Trump and Republicans in Congress must work across the aisle and end this shutdown now so Wisconsinites and Americans across our country have access to basic necessities like food and groceries that they need to survive.”

Republicans fired back. U.S. Rep. and GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07) said Republicans in the House passed a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open, but Democrats in the Senate repeatedly rejected it.

“Hey Tony, do you need a civics lesson on the Senate’s 60-vote rule, or are you just trying to mislead Wisconsinites?” Tiffany wrote. “Democrats have voted 11 times to shut these programs down. Maybe you should ask Senator Baldwin why she is blocking the bipartisan bill and holding them hostage.”

U.S. Rep. Tony Wied (R-WI-08) echoed that sentiment.

“Unfortunately, Senate Democrats, including our Senator Tammy Baldwin, have chosen to hold Wisconsinites’ access to food hostage by voting to shut down the government a dozen times,” Wied told WisPolitics. “It is unconscionable that they would continue to play political games while the American people suffer.” 

Democrats in the Senate countered that the USDA and the Trump administration already have the authority to extend SNAP benefits. Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) joined 44 of her colleagues in signing a letter to Rollins urging the immediate release of November benefits. 

“Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance,” the letter stated. “We urge you to immediately communicate to states and committees of jurisdiction the USDA’s plans to disburse the contingency funding to state agencies and utilize all available legal authorities so that American families can get benefits without interruption.”

Democrats remain at the table and ready to negotiate reopening the government, the lawmakers asserted. 

Democratic state lawmakers also blamed Republicans for the shutdown and said state Republican had refused to step in and help.

“Due to federal Republicans’ failure to reopen the government, more than 700,000 Wisconsinites — including over 260,000 children and teens — will go hungry next month,” Rep. Randy Udell (D-Verona) said. “During the last floor session, legislative Democrats proposed funding this program at the state level, and legislative Republicans refused.”

Udell said Trump was “brazenly at war with his own constituents.”

Meanwhile, conservative groups such as Americans for Prosperity–Wisconsin placed responsibility squarely on the shoulders of Democrats.

“While Governor Evers and Senator Baldwin remain part of the problem, Sen. Ron Johnson is demonstrating leadership, standing up for Wisconsinites by voting 10-plus times to end this shutdown and re-open the government,” said AFP-Wisconsin director Megan Novak.

The governor’s letter to Rollins was another example of pointing fingers instead of focusing on finding solutions, Novak said: “Until he joins us in calling on Senator Baldwin to vote to reopen government, his words are nothing but empty rhetoric.”

Novak said everyone agreed that families shouldn’t have to worry about putting food on the table, but she said the answer wasn’t to blame Republicans, who had voted more than 10 times to reopen the government.

“Wisconsinites deserve a government that works for them, not one that dodges responsibility and governs by chaos,” Novak said.

AFP-WI called on Congress to end stopgap governing, balance the budget, and prioritize spending on essential services.

The USDA’s directive to hold issuance files effectively halts the monthly transfer of funds to electronic benefit cards, creating uncertainty for grocery stores and families alike. Whether the Trump administration will invoke its authority to transfer funds remained uncertain at week’s end.

Richard Moore is the author of “Dark State” and may be reached at richardd3d.substack.com.