Thousands of Wisconsinites could lose SNAP benefits under President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites may lose access to federal food assistance programs.

The “big, beautiful bill” is President Donald Trump’s proposed tax and spending package which includes cuts to food assistance programs and Medicaid.

Under President Donald Trump’s proposed tax and spending package, more than $300 million would be cut from supplemental nutrition programs in Wisconsin. More than 700,000 Wisconsinites would be out of SNAP – or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs -- if President Trump’s spending package passes the Senate.

SNAP is a federal program that provides low-income families with money to purchase certain food items at retail stores. If the President's proposed spending budget passes the Senate as it did in the House, Wisconsin would see a severe cut in federal funding for that program -- with benefits being cut by more than $200 billion nationwide.

States, including Wisconsin, would be required to find funding for SNAP within their own state’s budget.

“On the health care piece of it, it’s estimated that nationwide, nearly 14 million people will lose their health care. Imagine that combined with losing access to the ability to buy the nutritious food you need to put on the table to feed your family,” said Sen. Tammy Baldwin, (D) Wisconsin.

At an event in Waukesha discussing federal funding freezes to Head Start – an educational program -- Senator Baldwin spoke about the bill and Senator Ron Johnson's opposition to the bill.

Johnson is one of many GOP senators who say they will not support the bill when it arrives in the Senate. Johnson told CNN he believes the cuts made to federal programs are too small, stating, “Somebody’s got to be the dad that says, ‘I know y’all want to go to Disney World, but we can’t afford it.’ I guess I’m going to be that guy.”

“Interestingly, I have Republican colleagues who think these cuts go way too far and I have Republican colleagues who think these cuts don’t go far enough. And so, I don’t care how they get to no, I’m gonna work really hard with them to make sure the bill that was passed by the House never makes it to the President’s desk,” said Baldwin.

The bill has passed the House by one vote and will make its way to the Senate where GOP senators, including Johnson, say they want to see a major rewrite of the bill.