Eau Claire, WI — Last week, we learned that Wisconsin will run out of SNAP benefits starting in November, leaving over 700,000 of our neighbors without food assistance and it should not be this way.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden has spoken often about his own childhood reliance on food stamps and the importance of keeping SNAP available. But when it came time to stand up for, and defend these programs that so many rely on, he chose billionaires over working families. Van Orden is perfectly happy watching as Wisconsin families starve so long as the ultra-rich get richer.
Now, with Republicans refusing to re-open the government they have shut down, Wisconsin families are paying the price. Without action, SNAP benefits will run out by October 31, leaving hundreds of thousands of families hungry as the holidays approach.
Health insurance rates are skyrocketing and essential food programs are collapsing all while those in power hide from this problem that they created. Rep. Van Orden is taking a paid vacation while kids starve.
“I’m running for Congress to prioritize people’s health over corporate profits. To put groceries over greed. These are not difficult priorities,” said Emily Berge. “We deserve leaders who protect families and strengthen communities, not politicians who cut food and healthcare to give more money to billionaires.”
Van Orden’s votes and the ongoing GOP shutdown threaten the most basic needs of Wisconsin families. He is abandoning Wisconsin families and abandoning Wisconsin values. We need leaders who will strengthen communities and solve problems, not strip away food and price away health care from families.
