RICHMOND, Va. β Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency to ensure food assistance benefits continue for hundreds of thousands of residents as the federal government shutdown approaches its fourth week.
The emergency declaration will allow Virginia to maintain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for about 850,000 residents who depend on the program for food security.
"Benefits that support 850,000 Virginians who need food assistance, 850,000 who are the least of these and demand the best of us," Youngkin said on Friday.
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The governor said Virginia will use money from its $10 billion surplus to fund SNAP benefits, which cost about $150 million per month in the state.
"The state is going to step in for a while, [but] we can't do it forever, because we have the financial resources to do this," Youngkin said.
Virginia's SNAP program is currently funded through the end of October. But if the government shutdown continues past Oct. 31, the state plans to launch a first-of-its-kind program on Nov. 1 to avoid any disruption in services.
The nationwide shutdown has already resulted in thousands of federal employees being furloughed without pay, causing growing food bank lines and putting pressure on social services across the country.
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Political disagreements in Washington continue to prevent a resolution. Republicans generally support passing a continuing resolution to fund the government under the existing budget. Democrats oppose this approach because it would end Affordable Care Act tax credits, which they argue would cause healthcare premiums to rise for many Americans.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who represents Virginia's 4th District, placed blame on Republicans.
"In the last two weeks, the Trump Administration has put states on notice that SNAP benefits won't be paid in full due to the shutdown," McClellan said on Wednesday. "This is a shutdown of Republicans' own making because they won't fund the government unless they can rip healthcare away from millions of Americans."
Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine expressed similar views. Warner said Republicans are responsible for the shutdown since they control the White House, Senate and Congress. Kaine criticized Youngkin and Republicans for not defending benefits like SNAP when Trump's tax cuts passed in July.
Youngkin fired back at Democrats in Washington.
"President Trump said he was willing to talk about it," Youngkin said. "And I think that that was a very important statement. Leader Thune said he was would give them a vote. But no, they want to hold people hostage who need help from the SNAP program and other programs today."
McClellan called on Republican leaders to negotiate.
"Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune, it is time for you to show leadership, come to the table and negotiate a bipartisan funding bill that meets the needs of the American people, addresses the looming healthcare crisis and ends the shutdown," McClellan said.
As the political battle continues, Youngkin reassured Virginia residents that the state is working to prevent any gaps in assistance.
"The entire objective is for those Virginians who receive these benefits to not see a moment's gap or any interruption," Youngkin said. "And that's what we're working to do. This has never been done before. It's unprecedented."
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