Government shutdown: Evers voices concerns about health care, food

RACINE, Wis. - Gov. Tony Evers stopped in Racine on Wednesday to speak to residents who are worried about how the ongoing federal government shutdown will impact Wisconsin.

Government shutdown

The backstory:

Democrats and Republicans blame each other for how we got here.

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The U.S. House passed a bill to keep the government open for seven weeks, but Senate Democrats did not back it. They wanted an extension of Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits added to help lower health care premiums, which expire on Dec. 31.

Republicans said they'd negotiate that later, but Democrats want it added into the seven-week funding bill – leading to the stall that has kept the government closed.

Wisconsin worries

What they're saying:

Evers said the shutdown, now in its third week, puts thousands of Wisconsin residents at risk of losing health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act.

"Republicans are dead set against putting money into the Affordable Care Act," said Evers. "All hell's going to break loose here."

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"I'm concerned about this impact on veterans who fought for this country," said Robert Turner, a Racine resident.

Evers and other leaders spoke about the possibility of people losing SNAP benefits and FoodShare services next month, too.

"This is a manufactured crisis that they are making that is going to make the lives of people in this community and in communities just like ours so much worse," said Racine Mayor Cory Mason.

U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, a Wisconsin Republican, said the ball is in Democrats' court.

"It's incredibly frustrating, the position we're in," he said. "The easy solution is for Democrats in the U.S. Senate to come to the table, vote to reopen the government, and then engage with us on the negotiations over fiscal year 2026 appropriations."

FoodShare concerns

Local perspective:

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said FoodShare is fully funded by the federal government, meaning recipients will not get their monthly benefits on time in November.

FoodShare benefits may not be available on QUEST cards. Members who have benefits on their cards may want to stock up on food items that don’t go bad – such as canned goods and boxed items – before the end of October.

Local organizations, like the nonprofit Impact 211, want to make sure families have food.