Trump tax bill: Wisconsin SNAP recipients at risk of losing benefits

MILWAUKEE - The U.S. House of Representatives passed President Donald Trump's "big beautiful" tax bill on Thursday despite several Republican holdouts. In Wisconsin, it could put 90,000 people at risk of losing food share benefits.

‘Big Beautiful’ tax bill

Big picture view:

The bill would extend $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and slash government spending. It passed by a razor-thin margin of 215-214 with no support from Democrats.

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"You have consistently proven to be nothing more than a rubber stamp Donald Trump's extreme agenda," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York).

Democrats said they will keep fighting to make sure key parts of the Trump agenda are stripped from the bill. Republicans are expected to use a special budget process to get around a possible Democratic filibuster in the Senate.

"We've been talking to the Senate for a long time, but it's their turn to take this bill and move forward," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana).

What's next:

The bill is expected to undergo more changes when it goes to the Senate for final passage. 

Wisconsin SNAP

Local perspective:

The bill proposes cuts of roughly $270 billion to the nation's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. It has raised concerns with Wisconsin Medicaid Director Bill Hanna.

"There certainly will be people who get caught up in the new red tape they have to meet in order to achieve the benefits," said Hanna.

SNAP benefits can be used at most stores as well as many farmers markets, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. It helps 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. 

Linda LaFuente with the Child & Family Center of Excellence in Pewaukee said the impact could be catastrophic. Seventy-five percent of families there receive food stamps.

"We’re talking about the lowest income families," she said. "Taking the SNAP away will put a burden on us here trying to even just process their eligibility."

LaFuente said SNAP is an automatic qualifier for families to join the child care program. Without it, she said there will be hurdles. Provisions in the bill would also require more able-bodied recipients to prove they are employed in order to receive SNAP benefits.

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By the numbers:

The Wisconsin DHS said SNAP, also known as "FoodShare," helps nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites each year. For every $1 of SNAP benefits, working families across the state generate $1.50 for our economy.

Wisconsin's payment error rate is one of the lowest in the country at 4.41% in 2024, according to the DHS. Those errors are not considered fraud and represent things like unexpected changes to a person's income or accidental errors that occur when determining if someone qualifies for the program.

Additional details about how the SNAP changes would impact Wisconsinites can be found on the DHS website.

Head Start program

Dig deeper:

FOX6 News last visited the center in February, when a federal funding freeze forced the Head Start program to temporarily close.

"That first shut down was – imagine you're working at your job 50 years – ‘don’t come to work tomorrow, your job is done,'" said LaFuente.

Earlier this month, Gov. Tony Evers joined Democratic governors from 15 other states and territories to urge Congress to reject Trump’s proposed cuts to Head Start funding. The governor said gutting the program would put 11,000 Wisconsin children at risk of losing access to full-time child care.

"It is such an emotional overload – slap in the face, if you will," said LaFuente.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) is scheduled to tour the center on Friday. She said the Trump administration has stopped more than $35 million in funding from Wisconsin Head Start centers. 

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