As the November 1 deadline looms and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) faces a Schumer Shutdown-induced pause, several states are suing the federal government to keep the program funded (despite laws that prohibit such a move).
One of those states is Wisconsin. Attorney General Josh Kaul (who took time away from attacking religious charities' tax-exempt status) filed suit to force the Trump administration to fund SNAP/Food Share on October 28.
"Millions of Americans, including children, seniors, and veterans, are on the verge of losing access to the food assistance they rely upon,” Kaul said. “No one should have to go hungry because of dysfunction in our federal government."
Democratic Governor Tony Evers warned that 700,000 Wisconsinites could lose access to food assistance. In a letter to the Trump administration, Evers wrote, "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. 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."
Evers also demanded, "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."
Recommended
What happened to "No Kings"?
Wisconsin conservative talk radio host Dan O'Donnell pointed out that Gov. Evers does, in fact, have the ability to fix the problem. He can access nearly $400 million in COVID relief money the state of Wisconsin hasn't spent and hasn't allocated.
EXCLUSIVE: Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers could use $370 million in unspent and unallocated COVID relief money on Food Security Grants to help people who wil be losing food assistance because of the federal government shutdown on Saturday. He is simply choosing not to. https://t.co/xb9XQb93Dm
— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) October 29, 2025
"I have learned exclusively that if Governor Evers really wanted to, he absolutely could be funding the Food Share program in Wisconsin," O'Donnell said.
"Here in Wisconsin, we have hundreds of millions of dollars that Governor Evers does not even need the state legislature to authorize. That we could use right now to help supplement Wisconsin's Food Share program and to offset the cut," O'Donnell continued.
"Governor Evers wants nothing to do with that," O'Donnell said. "If you want some proof that Evers and his team are playing politics with people's lives, this is it."
That's interesting, because Gov. Evers is claiming he can't do anything to help Food Share without the Republican-controlled legislature. According to WPR:
But in Wisconsin, where the Democratic governor and GOP-held Legislature are often at cross purposes — and express differing opinions about who’s to blame for the month-long shutdown — Evers has little ability to fund food assistance by himself.
“As far as my ability to do something unilaterally, it would have to have the Legislature’s approval,” he told reporters at an event in Racine last week. “And it’s not that they wouldn’t do it. We’re not flush with money here.”
Wisconsin has a few places to draw money from. The state’s general fund, which operates like its main checking account, ran a multibillion-dollar surplus for years and totaled $4.6 billion on June 30. But after the state budget passed in early July, following a deal struck between Evers and legislative Republicans, that surplus is projected to decrease to under $1 billion in the next two years.
WPR does not mention the COVID fund at all.
"Governor Evers is placing the blame for all of this on President Trump," O'Donnell said. "Governor Evers absolutely can, right now, release $370 million to help with food assistance. If I know that, it is almost certain that he and his administration do as well."
"There is roughly $370 million that has not been spent yet in American Rescue Plan Act funding...that has not only not been spent, it has not yet been allocated," O'Donnell said. "While technically, yes, this money has been allocated for various things, it can simply be reallocated to food security grants."
"One of the acceptable uses of ARPA funds has always been a food security grant," O'Donnell continued. "A lot of money was flowing to the states...to local governments for food security grants. There is, therefore, nothing to stop Governor Evers from moving the existing $370 million in ARPA money...to food security grants."
"Wisconsin itself can't pay for EBT cards or the existing food share program, but the Governor has complete control over ARPA funds," O'Donnell went on. He reminded listeners that Republicans put forth a measure to amend the state constitution to give the legislature control over those funds, but voters rejected it.
"Tony Evers was a huge opponent of this constitutional amendment," O'Donnell said. "According to the Wisconsin constitution and state law...the only person who has any say over how this $370 million in COVID money from the federal government is spent is Governor Tony Evers."
"He could, right now, today, with a gubernatorial edict — if he really cared about the poor, and the needy, and the destitute, and the hungry as much as he says he does — he would move at least $100 million right now to provide the people who desperately need food assistance with the grant money that they would then be able to use to buy groceries and to hopefully make it through this federal government shutdown."
"Governor Evers could free $370 million...but he's not. Why?" O'Donnell asked. "In fact, it would be my very strong opinion that...the Trump administration would really want Governor Evers to do this. Not only that, Evers could be looked at as a hero."
"Is it a little strange that a talk radio host is the first one to realize that this could happen? Because I'm willing to wager that I don't know more about the Evers' slush fund than the Evers' team does," O'Donnell said.
Several prominent Democrats have said they plan to use Americans' suffering as political leverage during the Schumer Shutdown.
Townhall called Gov. Evers' Madison office to inquire about these ARPA funds, but we were unable to reach any member of Evers' staff.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member