Different Capitol, same finger-pointing: Dems, Van Orden trade shutdown blame in Madison
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The state Capitol took center stage Wednesday, Oct. 29, in the ongoing federal government shutdown, as GOP Congressman Derrick Van Orden came to testify on a bill before a legislative committee.
The bill would create a matching grant program where Wisconsin would provide nearly $2 million to the state Department of Veterans Affairs in matching federal grants.
However, even during the hearing, the argument over who's to blame for the federal government shutdown bubbled to the surface.
The shutdown has become more impactful as about 700,000 Wisconsinites are on the verge of not receiving their monthly food assistance payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is administered in Wisconsin as the FoodShare program.
Van Orden, who represents western Wisconsin in the House of Representatives, told the state Assembly's committee on veterans affairs military families were among those who will suffer if SNAP benefits expire.
"That's 100 percent on the Democrat minority in the Senate," Van Orden said.
Congressional Democrats have refused to vote for a spending bill that does not extend tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that set to expire at the end of the year.
Democrats are calling for the USDA to tap into its $6 billion contingency fund to ensure benefits for November still go out.
A page on the agency's website previously said those funds could be used during a shutdown, but the USDA has since taken down the page and now greets visitors with a message blaming Senate Democrats for the shutdown.
A USDA spokesperson shared a memo from the agency stating the contingency fund "is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists."
“We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats," a USDA spokesperson told CBS 58 in an email Wednesday. "Continue to hold out for the Far-Left wing of the party or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP allotments.”
Congressman Mark Pocan, a Madison-area Democrat, said the USDA's reversal on the issue was proof the Trump administration was using people's hunger as leverage.
"The reality is it's a self-imposed problem due to the unwillingness to use the contingency fund that exists for this very purpose," Pocan said.
The contingency fund would only help in November and only to an extent. The remaining $6 billion would only cover part of the $8 billion the federal government spends monthly on SNAP benefits.
"So, here's what needs to happen. Call [Senator] Tammy Baldwin's office," Van Orden told reporters before the hearing. "Tell the Democrats to open up the government again, and this problem will go away."
Van Orden noted he co-sponsored a bill with Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) that would ensure SNAP remains funded for the entire 2026 fiscal year.
A spokesperson for Baldwin said the Democratic senator was unavailable for an interview Wednesday afternoon but provided a statement. Baldwin has also called for the USDA to use its contingency funds to help pay for November SNAP benefits.
Baldwin's office to a jab at Van Orden, noting House Republicans haven't been in session for six weeks.
"While Congressman Van Orden is on day 40 of his paid vacation, Senator Baldwin has been in Washington," a spokesperson said. "Working with her colleagues to lower health care costs and reopen the government."
According to figures shared by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the state Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, a 60-year-old in Milwaukee making $63,000 a year would have to pay $2,100 more per month for an ACA Silver Plan.
Van Orden insisted any negotiations about extending the healthcare tax subsidies should happen once Congress passes a short-term government funding bill.
"If they wanna talk about different programs, that's fine. You do that with an open government," Van Orden said. "You don't do that being held hostage."
Last December, however, Van Orden said once Republicans officially took control of the Senate, it was entirely on them to get spending measures across the finish line.
"When we have unified government, if we can't get our 12 appropriations bills through and a budget passed, then we do not deserve to be in the majority," Van Orden told The John Fredericks Show in a December 2024 interview.
On Wednesday, Van Orden said he would support the state using its resources to fund food assistance programs. He noted his family used food stamps when was growing up, and his family also qualified for food assistance while he served in the Navy SEALs.
Wisconsin has about $2 billion in its rainy-day fund, and the state is sitting on a $4.6 billion surplus. Using any of that money for FoodShare would require legislative approval.
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu threw cold water on that idea.
"If SNAP funding runs out, the blame will fall entirely on United States Senate Democrats," LeMahieu said in a statement to CBS 58. "Senator Baldwin and her colleagues should stop using needy Wisconsin families as political leverage and end this Democrat shutdown before November 1st."
A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos did not respond to questions Wednesday.