Governor Mills Calls on White House to Release Federal Contingency Funds for SNAP

Letter from 21 governors demands immediate release of USDA funding as the Federal shutdown is poised to cease food benefits for 170,000 Maine people on Saturday

Governor Janet Mills today joined governors from 20 states to call upon President Trump to immediately release contingency funding at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cover benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which are poised to end Saturday for 170,000 Maine people due to the Federal shutdown.

In a letter to the President, the governors detailed the impact of ending these benefits on people across the nation and urged him to direct the Department to release these funds, which have been appropriated by Congress. ​ On October 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture informed states that SNAP benefits will not be distributed in November due to the Federal shutdown. On October 24, the USDA issued a memo claiming it could not legally use SNAP contingency funds to cover regular benefits.

"SNAP is more than a food assistance program, it is a lifeline. It helps families put nutritious food on the table, supports local farmers and grocers, and strengthens our communities and economy," the governors' letter states. "The USDA's decision to delay SNAP assistance is unacceptable, and we urge your Administration to provide the necessary funding to deliver full benefits to vulnerable Americans in need, especially with Thanksgiving just a few weeks away."

On Wednesday, Governor Mills announced that she is taking action to deliver $1.25 million to Good Shepherd Food Bank, Maine's Area Agencies on Aging, and other anti-hunger programs in Maine as the Federal shutdown continues, in partnership with the John T. Gorman Foundation.

Earlier this week, Attorney General Aaron Frey announced that Maine had joined a muti-state lawsuit to compel USDA to release contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits in November. In Maine, some $29 million in Federal funding for SNAP is provided to 170,000 Maine people each month, with the average family of four receiving $572 each month.

Nearly 12.5 percent of the state's population relies on SNAP, with several counties -- Androscoggin, Aroostook, Washington, Piscataquis, and Somerset -- approaching or surpassing 20 percent of their populations. Nearly 75 percent of Maine's SNAP households include at least one working adult, more than half include a person with a disability, 43 percent include an older adult, and over one-third include children.

The governors' letter makes clear that delaying the release of these funds will have significant consequences for 42 million people around the country, including 16 million children, 8 million seniors, and 4 million people with disabilities. SNAP also supports approximately 388,000 jobs nationwide and more than $20 billion in direct wages, and it results in over $4.5 billion in state and federal tax revenue.

Read the governors' letter (PDF).