Evers’s SNAP “Emergency” Is Politics Posing As Public Safety
Ever throw a snowball at a street light pole? When you hit it (two tries last winter! I’m old), a majority of the snow sticks to the wood, while swarf flies off behind.
Please stick with me.
Imagine the Schumer Shutdown as the snowball, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers as a minuscule piece of swarf, flying in space.
That was a long way of saying, Evers remembered to turn his fax machine on and read the left’s talking points for the shutdown.
In what I believe is a cry for relevance, Tony Evers declared a state of emergency over the Schumer Shutdown, using the excuse of a potential lapse or delay in SNAP benefits, then wrapped it in a sobbing rhetorical blanket, draping it in the language of “abnormal economic disruption.”
Translation: a press-release siren to cue the media.
His notice says Executive Order 278 declares both a state of emergency and a period of abnormal economic disruption tied to FoodShare timing.
For whatever reason, courts are going after the Trump administration to keep partial SNAP funds flowing, and not to be ignored, Evers declared the emergency anyway. Why? Because drama beats diligence.
Under the statutes, a Wisconsin governor can declare a state emergency, which sunsets in 60 days unless lawmakers extend it. He pulled the phrase “abnormal economic disruption” from another state statute, and empowers the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to police prices during specified disruptions.
Evers flipped the anti-gouging switch for a federal fund fight rather than a true statewide breakdown—not leadership, but optics.
What An “Emergency” Means In Wisconsin
On a whim, I asked ChatGPT for reasons why a U.S. state governor would declare a state of emergency. I did it for two reasons: to see what reasons are listed, and second, to see if the AI was already redefining what a state of emergency is.
Here’s ChatGPT’s definition:
Basically, a governor might declare a state of emergency for natural disasters—think hurricanes, floods, wildfires—or for a major public health crisis, like a pandemic. Sometimes it could be for civil unrest or something like a major infrastructure failure. Declaring an emergency basically lets them unlock extra resources and move faster to help people out.
A declared state of emergency is a formal tool for real disasters, and ends after 60 days unless the Legislature extends it. Because Evers added the price-gouging portion, he’s required to certify a period of abnormal economic disruption before DATCP can act. The state used that authority during COVID, then turned it off when prices stabilized.
DATCP guidance triggers enforcement when the 15% threshold is reached, resulting in gubernatorial certification.
Currently, there are no tornadoes, large refinery fires, or statewide blackouts to deal with, meaning what’s happening is a budget and litigation standoff. Treat the law like a fire alarm, and you get a building that learns to ignore the bell.
Wisconsin SNAP Usage
Starting with the scope, Wisconsin calls SNAP “FoodShare.”
At the turn of this year, roughly 700,000 people each month receive benefits, about 12% of the state’s population.
What Is Actually Happening To Benefits
According to the Democratic governor and Wisconsin media, but I repeat myself, benefits would be delayed, and Evers’s order directs DATCP to keep an eye on things while the rest of the bureaucracy scrambles.
Evers framed the order as necessary because the Trump administration hasn’t released any funds yet, and hasn’t offered any ideas that President Donald Trump would consider for funding SNAP.
Related: Trump Asks Federal Court How to ‘Legally Fund’ SNAP After Judge’s Order
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin also declared a limited emergency to keep food aid moving, so Evers isn’t quite acting without precedent, although most states stopped short of fully pulling the fire lever.
How Much of This is “Emergency” Versus Management?
The chicken bones must have led Tony astray: The statue he invoked is about price gouging, not pulling federal money out of his …sorry, family channel.
That isn’t bad thinking during hurricanes or supply shocks. But now, it looks like a press conference lever.
Let me know if you recognize this pattern that has emerged in current politics, especially on one side of the aisle. When leaders resort to crisis management to conceal ordinary management failures, they exhaust public trust; the audience stops clapping, and the orchestra keeps playing to an empty room.
Final Thoughts
Governors of states that genuine disasters have battered—Hurricane Sandy assaulting New Jersey and the New York region, Hurricane Ivan’s devastation of Florida—activate a full-tilt emergency protocol: evacuations, National Guard deployments, suspending tolls, and pre-staging fuel and crews.
The Emergency label corresponds to storms responsible for tens of billions in damage, displacing people, and knocking entire infrastructure chunks offline.
Now, let’s compare that with Tony Evers, who declared an emergency the same way the Muppet Beaker declared panic—flailing arms, wide eyes, a trembling voice—while real governors in storm-ripped states are wading through floodwater, cutting power lines, and feeding the people who have lost everything.
We’re not seeing a levee break or an underwater town; Evers/Beaker’s crisis is, quite simply, a federal delay in paperwork. No need for rooftop rescues, restoring power grids; just a press release and a podium. When stretching the definition of an emergency that far, meaning gets lost.
Every true leader who’s ever stood ankle-deep in mud and howling winds understands that leadership is measured in sacrifice, not sound bites.
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