UNDATED (WSAU-Wheeler News) The number of Wisconsin food stamp recipients went down by almost 5-percent last year, to around 820,000. In addition, over a quarter-million low-income households saw their benefits reduced under Wisconsin’s Food-Share program.
Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force blames most of the decline on changes in the federal food stamp program. Task force director Sherri Tussler tells the Journal Sentinel that hundreds of elderly-and-disabled people were among those who lost most of their monthly allocations — and were never told why. The cuts began in late 2013, when the last of the federal stimulus funds ran out.
Also, Wisconsin’s “Heat and Eat” program — in which food benefits were tied to the long-running federal heating aid — ended last year. Sixteen cold-weather states ran the program, which drew heavy opposition from Republicans in Congress including Janesville’s Paul Ryan. State Democrats tried but failed to restore “Heat and Eat” assistance last year.
Milwaukee Assembly Democrat David Bowen says he’ll try again with another bill later this year. He said G-O-P legislatures in Montana and Pennsylvania preserved their “Heat-and-Eat” programs.
