Federal cuts may overwhelm local systems, force WI counties to reduce, slow or cancel services towns and families depend on
Western Wis. — Residents from Dunn, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix counties warned county boards that HR1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, is poised to trigger significant local budget reductions in essential services across western Wisconsin. In county budget hearings this month, residents delivered letters and gave testimony that the funding cuts in HR1 translate directly into hunger, untreated illness, longer waits for crisis care, and heavier burdens on families already stretched thin.
While HR1 was passed in Washington, residents emphasized that its effects will “land squarely on counties like ours through reductions to FoodShare/SNAP, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act coverage subsidies.”
Residents Sound Alarm on Cuts to FoodShare, Medicaid, and ACA Coverage
In St. Croix County, Bob Maline of Hudson warned that reducing the federal share of FoodShare/SNAP administrative funds “from 50% to 25%” means reduced capacity to process the applications that help families put food on the table. For a county where thousands rely on FoodShare, he noted, HR1 “means potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in new local costs… depending on how the state divides the shortfall.” If counties cannot absorb these added costs, residents explained, delays will grow, case backlogs will lengthen, and more households will fall through the cracks before they can access basic nutrition assistance.
Medicaid cuts were another concern. In Dunn County, Jennifer McKanna of Menomonie reminded the Board that over 400 residents are at risk of losing coverage due to new eligibility requirements, and that the consequences will be deeply felt by the county. “Those losses would quickly ripple into county-funded systems like Behavioral Health, Public Health, and the Sheriff’s Office, all of which already operate near capacity.”
In Polk County, Emily Greger of St. Croix Falls drew attention to Golden Age Manor in Amery, where “about 60 percent of resident days are Medicaid-funded.” A reduction of even 2-5% in reimbursement rates could cost the facility “between $88,000 and $220,000 a year,” she testified, dollars that could make the difference between stable staffing and cuts to direct care.
The weakening of Affordable Care Act tax credits adds another layer of vulnerability. In Pierce County, Lisa Mueller of Ellsworth explained that without those credits, some families will pay “roughly $1,500 more per month,” an increase that will force many to forgo coverage entirely. She warned that those who lose insurance coverage would then rely on county-funded behavioral health, public health, or emergency response for care. For working parents, young adults, and seniors not yet old enough for Medicare, losing insurance often means skipping medications, delaying preventive care, and waiting until problems become crises.
Across all four counties, residents also highlighted the strain HR1 will place on Sheriff’s departments, which already serve as frontline responders to mental-health and medical crises. In St. Croix County, Bob Maline noted that deputies “spend long hours transporting residents in crisis to Winnebago Mental Health Institute,” and warned that more uninsured residents will mean “more crisis calls and longer transports,” further stretching personnel and vehicle budgets.
Cuts Arrive as the Bill Delivers Benefits to Those Already Doing Well
Residents also noted the broader context of HR1, observing that while western Wisconsin counties brace for reduced support for essential services, the bill simultaneously delivers substantial tax benefits to the super rich. Independent analyses estimate that HR1 delivers more than $1 trillion in tax benefits to the top 1% of earners over the next decade, even as counties in western Wisconsin absorb cuts to the budgets for basic programs.
“This is the real tragedy of HR1,” said Bill Hogseth, Organizing Director of GROWW. “It asks the people of western Wisconsin to shoulder deep cuts that take food off tables, strain our Sheriff’s deputies and public health nurses, and threaten our nursing homes so that the wealthiest people in our country can get showered with more benefits. It’s wrong, plain and simple.”
Next Steps: Public Listening Sessions in Early 2026
GROWW (GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin), which supported residents in preparing the letters, announced that it will convene a series of public meetings and listening sessions early next year across the four counties. These gatherings will give community members an opportunity to speak directly about how HR1’s changes may affect their households, workplaces, and local institutions.
“Our purpose is to help county boards anticipate the fiscal stress before it forces service reductions,” Maline told the St. Croix Board. “We look forward to working together to ensure that every resident can count on the basic support our county departments provide.”
Lisa Mueller giving testimony in Pierce County
Bob Maline giving testimony in Saint Croix County
About GROWW
GROWW is a grassroots organization based in Western Wisconsin. Together, we work toward a future where we all make ends meet, live with dignity, and have a voice in shaping the decisions that impact us. To get connected or learn more about GROWW, visit us at GRO-WW.org, on Instagram at @GrowWisconsin, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/GROWWisconsin
