With the November 1 deadline fast approaching and the Schumer Shutdown grinding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to a halt, several Democrat-led states are now suing the federal government to keep the money flowing — even though federal law clearly forbids it.
One of those states leading the charge is Wisconsin. Attorney General Josh Kaul — who apparently found a break from his crusade against religious charities’ tax-exempt status — filed a lawsuit on October 28 demanding that the Trump administration fund SNAP, or FoodShare.
“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. He 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.”
He went on to demand:
“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.”
So much for the “No Kings” rallies…
Wisconsin conservative talk radio host Dan O’Donnell cut through the noise, noting that Governor Tony Evers actually has the power to fix the problem himself. The state is still sitting on nearly $400 million in unspent COVID relief funds — money that hasn’t been allocated or used. Instead of dipping into that pot to keep FoodShare running:
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 added.
“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 an interesting claim, considering Evers insists his hands are tied — that he can’t do anything to keep FoodShare running without approval from the Republican-controlled legislature, per Wisconsin Public Radio:
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.
Naturally, WPR didn’t bother mentioning the unspent COVID funds.
“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 added: “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.”
Democrats are pathetically using this shutdown to attack Trump and Republicans when they could – at the state and federal levels – literally feed people if they wanted to.
