Senator Dora Drake (D) Wisconsin
By Senator Dora Drake
Every resident has the right to accessible, fresh, and affordable produce and food. Recent grocery store closures in Milwaukee County and federal cuts to food assistance programs are going to prevent many Wisconsin residents from accessing food. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, most Milwaukeeans are more than half a mile from a supermarket, with a large portion of them not having reliable transportation. This will get worse with the announcement of five grocery store closures in Milwaukee.
Kroger, who made the recent announcement, says that the closures of five locations are part of an effort to be more efficient and for their long-term health. These include locations on Silver Spring Drive just inside Glendale, two locations on the city of Milwaukee’s north and south sides, as well as stores in South Milwaukee and Oak Creek. Most notably, the local Pick ‘n Save in the Metcalfe Park neighborhood closure and on Silver Spring Drive will increase the radius of food deserts in Milwaukee. Without this grocery store, residents will be required to travel over a mile to the next closest grocery store, but likely further when you incorporate the affordability of products. These were concerns I heard from constituents and residents at a recent community event on this topic. While the distance to the next supermarket may seem small to some, I believe that some take for granted their access to transportation; this is not the case for many, and this must be noted when exploring policy solutions.
These closures coincide with cuts to food assistance programs. Thanks to the One Big Ugly Bill passed by President Trump and Republicans, a portion of the costs of SNAP benefits is going to largely fall on the states to supplement. This threatens to cost Wisconsin between $175 – $314 million annually, which will affect eligibility for the roughly 700,000 Wisconsinites who rely on these benefits to survive. Wisconsin Medicaid Director Bill Hanna puts it bluntly: this is “over a quarter billion dollars each year that Wisconsin couldn’t use for our health care, our roads, our schools, or our economy.” Along with these cuts, red-tape requirements would require around 80,000 residents to submit new paperwork to prove they are employed, including increasing the requirement to work for adults ages 54 to 64 years old. These new requirements would also require parents with school-aged children to complete more paperwork. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, this would cost an extra $44 million for Wisconsin taxpayers each year. These cuts endanger many Wisconsin residents who rely on SNAP benefits to afford basic needs.
Not only are these cuts detrimental to many Wisconsin residents, but further cuts to Wisconsin’s Local Food Purchase Assistance and similar USDA programs threaten farmers, schools, and food banks in Wisconsin. The cuts to these programs halt $10 – 11 million in support to around 300 farmers, food banks, and schools in Wisconsin. It is also important to note that these programs, including SNAP, help stimulate our economy to keep supermarkets open. During the recent state budget process, Governor Evers proposed to reallocate these funds to work against these cuts; however, Republican lawmakers removed this provision, further undermining stability.
Despite these cuts and closures, I am taking active efforts to bridge the gap left by Trump, Republicans, and corporations. This includes a proposed bill that would require a $30 million Agricultural Purchase Program to channel grants to food pantries for purchasing locally grown food. This would help both lower costs for families and support Wisconsin farmers. During budget negotiations, Democrats negotiated to secure $10 million in funding for the Food Security Initiative grant program, which will ensure low-income children, families, seniors, and veterans have access to healthy foods during these uncertain times. While these are good bills that have been put forward, more needs to be done.
Recent closures of Milwaukee grocery stores threaten the health of every resident, exacerbating the ever-growing issue of food deserts. These closures will provide hundreds, potentially thousands, of residents without accessible, healthy, and fresh produce. Coupled with federal budget cuts to crucial programs such as SNAP, Wisconsin taxpayers will be paying over $300 million annually due to the Big Beautiful Bill. As policymakers, we must do better now; large corporations need to be responsible when making these decisions. Your elected leaders have a responsibility to take bold policy measures to protect our food security, and you have my commitment to do just that.