Tennessee governor warns of imminent SNAP funding lapse
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Low-income Tennesseans who depend on federal support to buy food will stop getting new benefits next month if the government shutdown continues, Gov. Bill Lee said Friday.
The big picture: More than 690,000 Tennessee residents rely on SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to get their groceries, according to the state.
- It takes about $146 million in federal funding per month to operate SNAP in Tennessee. That funding is expected to lapse in November.
- The Tennessee government will not step in to fill in the funding gap, the statement from Lee's office said, "as states do not have a mechanism to load benefits onto customer cards."
The latest: In a memo obtained by Axios, the USDA said it can't use emergency funds to keep SNAP going past Oct. 31. The memo also said states won't be reimbursed if they cover the expenses on their own.
Between the lines: In a statement that echoed other Republican politicians, Lee blamed congressional Democrats for the shutdown and the temporary funding lapse, saying they were holding federal dollars "hostage."
- He said his administration was working with nonprofits and faith leaders "to ensure Tennessee families do not go hungry."
The other side: Tennessee House Democrats asked Lee to call a special session to approve emergency state funding to bankroll SNAP benefits.
- "We, as state officials, have a duty to step up and lead so that innocent children and disabled and low-income adults do not go hungry or lose vital aid when our state has the means to help them," state Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said.
Zoom out: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, declared a state of emergency there so Virginia can fund food assistance if SNAP benefits lapse on Nov. 1.
Go deeper: Follow Axios' national coverage for the latest on the shutdown.