Oct. 23, 2025 9:30a
(WGTD)---Speaking in Racine Wednesday, Gov. Evers sounded the alarm over the potential impact of the prolonged federal shutdown.
Democrats in Washington are refusing to back down on their demand that federal Affordable Care Act subsidies continue while Republicans seem to be just as firm in their quest to discontinue the support.
At stake is an average premium subsidy of $664 per month in Wisconsin. Without the help, Evers said thousands of Wisconsinites won't be able to afford continuing their medical insurance through the ACA. "It's going to directly impact people," he said. "At some point in time it's going to impact our emergency rooms. At some point in time that's going to impact hospitals and (some) could go out of business. That's a big deal."
To make matters worse, nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites are days away from losing access to food benefits. The federally-financed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP for short, will run out of funds if the shutdown continues.
During a panel discussion at the Racine Public Library, Evers ruminated over what that might mean for recipients at the grocery store who try to pay with their SNAP cards. "Talk about an embarrassment. Not only will they not get the food, but they'll have the opportunity to be shamed in line. My god," he said.
Evers urged those in attendance to pressure 1st District Republican Congressman Bryan Steil.
According to one source, 15% of Racine County households receive SNAP benefits.
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