Senator Tammy Baldwin is accusing President Donald Trump of refusing to act in the wake of SNAP being defunded.
The government shutdown is now on day 30, less than a week away from becoming the longest in U.S. history.
A part of that shutdown is the stoppage of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP or FoodShare benefits.
Senator Baldwin sent out a memo, where she stated bluntly, “President Trump is choosing not to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) next month.”
An estimated 700,000 Wisconsinites are set to be affected, including 7,566 Manitowoc County residents, as reported by Extension Manitowoc County in its 2025 FoodWIse Year-End Report.
Senator Baldwin also noted that the USDA, which administers SNAP funding, had a shutdown plan on its website explicitly stating that it can use emergency funds for the program during a shutdown, but, in Baldwin’s words, “They mysteriously deleted this page from their website, and now, they are refusing to keep hungry families fed next month.”
She also pointed to the shutdown in President Trump’s first term, where there were no interruptions in SNAP payments.
Sen. Baldwin added, “President Trump and his administration have the full legal authority and available resources to fund SNAP during the government shutdown, but thus far, he is refusing to act.”
Food pantries around the country are now gearing up for an expected influx of people, including Manitowoc’s Grow it Forward, Peter’s Pantry, and the Salvation Army of Manitowoc County.
