Ohio’s congressional Dems seek USDA action to save endangered SNAP benefits
WASHINGTON — Ohio’s five Democratic members of Congress joined more than 200 House Democrats in signing a letter on Friday that urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure millions of Americans don’t lose food assistance next month due to the federal government shutdown.
The letter, addressed to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, comes as Ohio is warning more than 1.4 million residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that they may not receive their November benefits if the federal government shutdown continues.
The U.S. government shut down on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass a budget for the new fiscal year. The shutdown occurred because Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree on spending levels, particularly regarding Affordable Care Act subsidies.
The Democratic lawmakers expressed deep concern about comments from Rollins suggesting SNAP would run out of money and that no benefits would be issued in November. They urged USDA to tap into the program’s contingency reserve fund and use any available legal authority to fully fund November benefits.
“There are clear steps the administration can and must take immediately to ensure that millions of families across the country can put food on their table in November,” the letter states. “Choosing not to ensure SNAP benefits reach those in need this November would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities to the American people.”
The letter notes that SNAP serves 42 million people nationwide, including 16 million children, 8 million seniors, 4 million people with disabilities, and 1.2 million veterans.
Ohio impact
In Cuyahoga County alone, 190,000 residents could lose monthly benefits that help them buy groceries come Nov. 1. The state receives about $263 million each month in federal funding for food assistance, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Ohio would normally distribute SNAP on a staggered schedule between November 2 and November 20, based on the last digit of each recipient’s case number. This amounts to about $14.6 million each day statewide.
During a virtual town hall this week, Democratic U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes of Akron emphasized the urgency of the situation.
“By the end of October, about 1.5 million people in the state of Ohio will not have SNAP benefits,” Sykes said during the event. “That’s about 115,000 folks who won’t be able to put food on the table in our district. And those are children, veterans, seniors across the gamut.”
Sykes introduced legislation called the Feed Our Families Act that would set aside three months of funding to cover SNAP reserve funds, allowing the USDA to continue feeding families during shutdowns.
Rep. U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, a Democrat from Warrensville Heights, echoed those concerns.
“After shutting down the government instead of keeping health care affordable for working families, Trump and Republicans in Washington are now threatening to let families go hungry to score political points,” said a statement from Brown. “The money to keep SNAP running is sitting right there. The Administration has the power to use it in November, and they must. There is absolutely no excuse for holding Ohio families hostage or choosing to let children go hungry when the funds are available today.”
Republicans say the disruption is Democrats’ fault.
U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, a South Russell Republican, said in a social media post that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s refusal to pass a clean funding bill “is endangering food security for our most vulnerable populations.”
In media appearances this week, U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, a Columbus-area Republican, said he’s worried about how the shutdown will affect people who use programs like SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
“I know many Democrats want to vote to get this reopen,” Husted told Newsradio WTAM 1100. “Why? Because in the past, they’ve been the most vocal people that say, ‘Hey, don’t let government shut down.’ But right now, Chuck Schumer is basically saying, ‘No, we’re going to hold the line.’ ”
Food banks cannot fill gap
The potential loss of SNAP aid is alarming for Ohio’s food banks, which say they cannot make up the difference. For comparison, food banks across Ohio spent a record $43 million buying food last year — an amount equal to three days of lost SNAP benefits for everyone in the state. For every one meal provided by a food bank, SNAP provided nine, according to Michael Corey, director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County.
“This sector can’t navigate that spike,” Corey said during a press conference Thursday.
Senate President Rob McColley, a Henry County Republican, said he’s not working on legislation to backfill federal benefits. “Republicans in Congress have voted over 10 times to continue funding SNAP benefits while (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer and the Democrats have blocked it,” he said. “The Democrats need to quit playing games and pass a clean continuing resolution.”
State response
Gov. Mike DeWine’s spokesman, Dan Tierney, said proposed legislation to use Ohio’s rainy-day fund to fund SNAP isn’t viable. He explained that Ohio’s Budget Stabilization Fund is for economic downturns, when the state isn’t bringing in enough money to cover its own budget.
“We cannot put money into those accounts,” Tierney said, referring to SNAP benefit accounts. “We just don’t have access.”
Ohio Democratic Congress members say they’ve written to DeWine, asking him to use state resources to keep SNAP and WIC funded while the shutdown continues.
“We are still waiting for a response to that letter,” said Sykes. “The state does have the opportunity and the ability to fill in the gaps, if they choose to do so, so we are nudging them and encouraging them to do that action so that people don’t go hungry.”
By: Sabrina Eaton
Source: Cleveland.com