Gov. Andy Beshear said the Trump administration has halted funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Beshear said the U.S. Department of Agriculture told states in a letter that November funding would not forthcoming and not to work with vendors.
“More than 600,000 Kentuckians rely on SNAP. That's one in eight of our people, many of which are children,” Beshear said at a Monday news conference. “This is a scary and stressful time, and Team Kentucky is committed to processing benefits the moment the federal government provides the funds.”
Beshear said the state has not received the November funding for the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program either, also due to the shutdown. The TANF program is a block grant to states to help struggling families for a limited period of time.
Beshear said the state will be able to cover TANF for November, with the expectation of being repaid once the shutdown ends.
“But we cannot at this time make assurances for December, and that's unlikely,” Beshear said. “This is a temporary action, with hope that the federal shutdown will end and that benefits will begin processing as normal soon.”
The federal shutdown began 20 days ago, and the record for the longest shutdown is 35 days, during President Donald Trump’s first term. The Senate failed for the 10th time to reach an agreement and pass a spending bill with the 60 votes needed to move forward last week. The House has been out of session since Sept. 19. Democrats have so far refused to budge, insisting the funding measure reinstate expiring enhanced tax credits for plans under the Affordable Care Act and reverse recently passed cuts to Medicaid.
Beshear said SNAP recipients can continue using their current benefits as normal, until funding is no longer available. He said the lack of funding will put many families in a difficult situation, and hopes the funding will be returned sooner rather than later.
“My hope is that either the federal government will find a way to fund SNAP, which I think there is an argument they can even with the government shutdown, or the government will reopen in time for us to process those payments,” Beshear said.
