PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — A program which provides food assistance to 700,000 Wisconsinites is in need of more funding.
The state Department of Health Services hopes to secure $69 million to keep SNAP benefits, or FoodShare, going without any interruptions. SNAP benefits are among the cuts in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that President Donald Trump signed into law in July.
“There are now costships to put more ownership on the states, as opposed to what has traditionally happened for 80 years, where the federal government pays for all SNAP costs,” Feeding Wisconsin Executive Director Jackie Anderson said.
Starting in October 2026, states will be required to pick up 75% of administrative costs associated with SNAP.
The One Big Beautiful Bill also calls for new work requirements for SNAP recipients. This will create more paperwork — meaning more room for human error. Right now, Wisconsin has just a 4% administration error rate.
“If it doesn’t stay low, if it goes above 6%, then our state will be fined $205 million. So, either we invest this small amount now, or we end up paying a much larger amount later on,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the nearly $70 million would cover those additional administrative costs, like more staffing.
In a statement Wisconsin DHS said:
The Department of Health Services will need up to $11.4 million per year starting this state fiscal year to hire additional FoodShare quality control staff to review cases before they are confirmed to identify and address errors.
Anderson said it’s not clear where the money will come from.
If money isn’t allocated, area pantries like Rooted In, Inc. in Green Bay worry their already record high numbers will keep climbing.
“We don’t necessarily have the dollars and the volunteers and the support here, within the 30 food pantries in Brown County, to make up for potential massive increase in numbers,” Rooted In Inc. Founder and Executive Director Selena Darrow said.
Darrow said her pantry’s numbers have doubled since May and believes it’s essential DHS gets the money to keep FoodShare from falling apart.
“The majority of SNAP recipients are children. I mean, we’re not talking about people who are taking advantage of the system,” Darrow said.
November SNAP benefits are also in question because of the government shutdown.
At an event in Denmark Wednesday, Governor Tony Evers said a lot of people are at risk.
“We have to get Washington, D.C. back to work. Their part of being a partner has to be there, and so I’m really concerned about that,” Evers said.
Both the state Assembly and Senate will be making a decision on the DHS’ requested funding.
Feeding Wisconsin said the goal is to get the funding secured as soon as possible.
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