Gov. Josh Shapiro made $5 million available for Pennsylvania food banks on Friday through Feeding Pennsylvania as the federally subsidized Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was set to dry up.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Saturday because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the federal government shutdown.
Meanwhile, two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that the Trump administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, during the shutdown through contingency funds.
The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. Word in October that it would be a Nov. 1 casualty of the shutdown sent states, food banks and SNAP recipients scrambling to figure out how to secure food. Some states said they would spend their own funds to keep versions of the program going.
It wasn’t immediately clear how quickly the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy groceries could be reloaded after the ruling.
That process often takes one to two weeks. It remained unclear Friday night whether the administration would appeal the rulings from the federal judges or acquiesce.
The president did suggest on social media that the government would comply with court rulings to pay for food aid during the government shutdown but said more clarity is needed first.
“Even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out,” Trump said. Federal funds for the program are expected to be frozen starting Saturday.
“If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding.”
He sought to blame Democrats for the delay and urged SNAP recipients to call Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
On Friday night it was not yet clear whether the Shapiro administration would change any of the plans announced earlier by the governor,
“Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians rely on SNAP every month — and they shouldn’t have to wonder where their next meal will come from because of the dysfunction in Washington,” Shapiro said at an event at Philabundance. “In Pennsylvania, I won’t let our families or food banks shoulder that burden alone, and I’m not going to stand by while the federal government lets Pennsylvanians go hungry.”
The $5 million in state funding will flow through Feeding Pennsylvania like the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System, a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture initiative that connects food banks with Pennsylvania farmers to provide fresh, local food to families in need.
For more details on Feeding Pennsylvania, see www.feedingpa.org.
Earlier this week, Shapiro joined 24 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the administration for unlawfully suspending SNAP payments and failing to use billions in congressionally-approved contingency funds available to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to continue benefits during the shutdown.
The Associated Press contributed to this article. Further details as they become available.