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Vice President says Wisconsin governor refused SNAP/Medicaid data; calls refusal 'borderline criminal'
Summary
In a Milwaukee Q&A the Vice President said Gov. Tony Evers declined to provide SNAP rolls and Medicaid enrollment data to the administration and framed the refusal as obstructing checks for ineligible recipients; he offered federal resources and invited state officials to meet in Washington.
During a question‑and‑answer session in Milwaukee, the Vice President said the administration has asked Wisconsin officials to provide SNAP rolls and Medicaid enrollment information so federal staff can check eligibility and identify improper benefits. He said the governor has "absolutely not" turned over those records and called the refusal "borderline criminal."
Why it matters: SNAP and Medicaid are federally funded programs administered in partnership with states; the Vice President said access to state data is necessary to verify eligibility and prevent improper payments. He framed the issue as one of stewardship of taxpayer dollars and said the administration would explore ways to compel cooperation.
The Vice President offered an open invitation for state officials to "come into the White House" to coordinate anti‑fraud work and said federal resources would be made available if states cooperated. He said the lack of state cooperation makes it difficult for the federal government to determine whether ineligible individuals are receiving benefits, but he did not provide specific numbers or agency releases showing the scope of the alleged ineligible enrollment in Wisconsin.
The governor's office was not represented in the Milwaukee event and no formal legal action to compel data was announced onstage. The Vice President's characterization and the phrase "borderline criminal" are his descriptions of the governor's refusal as given in his remarks; the administration did not present documents at the event quantifying ineligible recipients or detailing enforcement steps to be taken to obtain the data.
