Tipsheet

After Refusing to Turn Over SNAP and Voter Data, WI Gov. Tony Evers Asks Feds for Federal Grant Money

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  June 29, 2026 1:30 PM

They say the definition of chutzpah is a man who murders his parents, then asks the court for leniency because he's an orphan. But we can add another definition to that word: after refusing to cooperate with the Trump administration and turn over voter information and SNAP data, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is now asking the feds for money to expand Amtrak in the state, going as far west as Dane County.

That takes guts, and the Trump administration should laugh at Evers' request.

The high-speed rail project was killed in 2011 when then-Governor Scott Walker decided not to waste the money on a project few people would use.

Gov. Evers, along with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and in partnership with Amtrak, today submitted a grant application to the U.S. Department of Transportation, reviving a long-thwarted effort to expand passenger rail in Wisconsin. Under an application submitted to the Trump administration today, the Evers administration is proposing to expand the Amtrak Hiawatha train service into Dane, Jefferson, and Waukesha counties by building upon existing railroad infrastructure to extend two daily Hiawatha Chicago to Milwaukee trains to Madison, Watertown, and Pewaukee. The Trump administration is expected to make award determinations in the coming months.

"My administration has been working hard to fix the darn roads, make sure Wisconsinites can get from Point A to Point B safely, and expand reliable transportation alternatives to make it even easier to get to and from work, school, home, and everywhere in between. After years of neglect and disinvestment, Wisconsin's roads, bridges, and infrastructure had fallen into disrepair, and we've spent seven years working to reverse that trend. The opportunity to expand passenger rail has haunted Wisconsin for a generation because of a short-sighted political stunt — that decision cost our state dearly, and we want to right that wrong," said Gov. Evers. "Ensuring Wisconsin has the 21st-century transportation and infrastructure we need to compete for workers and thrive in a 21st-century economy must be a top priority for our state, especially if we want to keep working toward the future we've been building over the last seven years. This is an important effort that should have happened a long time ago, and I'm hopeful the Trump administration will approve our request so we can get this done."

The Trump administration should throw the request in the trash until Wisconsin complies with voter rolls and SNAP data.

This is ridiculous.

Workers aren't going to come to Wisconsin because of a train. And if Francesca Hong wins, there will be fewer workers to ride public transport because they'll all leave for friendlier states.

He's got a bunch of bad ideas.

In Milwaukee, former Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett put the city on the hook for a streetcar boondoggle that's costing the city tens of millions of dollars.

This is the same thing.

Yes, he does.

Scott Walker called out Evers, too.

Yes, we are.