Proposed changes to SNAP will cost taxpayers $314 million per year and put 90,000 people at risk of losing benefits
Early this morning, the United States House of Representatives passed the budget reconciliation bill with a set of proposals to cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), costing Wisconsin taxpayers approximately $314 million each year. The bill will now go to the United States Senate for consideration. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has started to analyze how these cuts would impact all Wisconsinites, including taking food away from families, shifting costs to Wisconsin taxpayers, and increasing red-tape requirements making it harder for parents, kids, people with disabilities, and older adults to get food assistance.
“Wisconsin runs one of the best SNAP programs in the country and these cuts would cost our state approximately $314 million every year,” said Wisconsin Medicaid Director Bill Hanna. “This is over a quarter billion dollars each year that Wisconsin couldn’t use for our health care, our roads, our schools, or our economy.”
SNAP, also known as “FoodShare” in Wisconsin, helps nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites put food on their tables. SNAP benefits can be used at most stores as well as many farmers markets, allowing many working families, kids, and older adults access fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year. SNAP is also good for Wisconsin’s farmers, grocers, and local economies.
