Over 1.1 million Massachusetts residents are about to lose SNAP benefits on Saturday due to the Trump Administration's refusal to fund the program through the government shutdown . To understand the local impact this will have, consider that 1 in 5 Salem residents and 1 in 4 Lynn residents rely on SNAP for food. On Monday, the Salem Pantry shared a graphic on Instagram outlining the number of people in each North Shore town who will be impacted by this imminent freeze on SNAP benefits.
About That Rainy Day Fund
Even though Massachusetts has an $8 billion rainy day fund in reserve, Governor Healey and State House Leaders are refusing to draw upon it to cover SNAP funds for Massachusetts residents until the end of the shutdown.
Today Senator Mark Montigny urged the Healey Administration to do more to prevent widespread hunger in our state. He proposed cutting out unnecessary expenditures from the budget as a way of paying for SNAP benefits until the shutdown ends:
"There is no need for Massachusetts to spend an additional $10,000,000 on the Life Sciences Center or $15,000,000 for a Sports and Entertainment Events Fund to serve the upcoming World Cup...Additionally, the $47 million recently announced for the SHIELD initiative to bolster the defense industry can be put on hold. These industries are well-financed and do not require the taxpayer’s help...We cannot allow a breakdown on Capitol Hill to threaten the wellbeing of Massachusetts residents.”
A growing list of states and territories have committed to using state funds to partially fund SNAP benefits in November, including: Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware, Virginia, New Mexico, Louisiana, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What Massachusetts Is Doing
Each month Massachusetts sends $4 million to state food banks through an emergency food assistance program. In response to the current crisis, Governor Healey and the State Legislature will advance food banks an additional month's funding in November, bringing the total to $8 million. But that is hardly adequate considering that Bay State residents rely upon $240 million worth of SNAP benefits monthly.
In addition, the Healey-Driscoll administration has partnered with the United Way to set up an emergency response fund for affected Massachusetts households. You can donate to this fund here:
Lawsuit
Massachusetts and 24 other states have sued the Trump administration for not using the available $6 billion USDA emergency fund approved by Congress to fund the SNAP program during the shutdown. During a hearing today, US District Court Judge Indira Talwani was skeptical of the Trump administration's claim that it was unable to draw upon this fund.
“Right now, Congress has put funding in an emergency fund for an emergency, and it’s hard for me to understand how this isn’t an emergency." — Judge Indira Talwani
Judge Talwani indicated that she would rule on the case quickly, but the Trump administration will no doubt appeal any rulings that require them to fund the SNAP program. And as this case works its way through the court system, SNAP beneficiaries will be scrambling to pay for food.
Urgent Actions to Take
Keep Up the Pressure
State anti-hunger activists are urging people to keep calling and writing state leaders to urge them to do more to protect SNAP benefits for Massachusetts residents. At the very least, the state government must send considerably more funds to food banks. It's vital that we keep up the pressure until state leaders recognize how dire this situation is.
Contact Governor Healey: 617-725-4005; email. Look up your state legislators and their contact info here:
NSP Staff Writer
Feel free to draw upon language Senator Mark Montigny's letter to the Healey Administration today and also these letters to the Governor and state legislators from Massachusetts anti-hunger organizations.
Support Local Groups
Food assistance groups will not be able to meet the urgent wide-scale demand created by this delay in SNAP benefits. These organizations need your help during this crisis. We have compiled a list of local food pantries, community meal programs, mutual aid groups, and food recovery organizations for you to support through donations and volunteer work.
NSP Staff Writer
Salem YMCA Gift Card Collection
Late this afternoon the city of Salem announced that the Salem YMCA is collecting grocery store gift cards to help local families. Individual gift cards cannot exceed $25 each, but there is no limit on the number of cards to donate. For details:
Government Websites by CivicPlus®
Further Reading
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Nik DeCosta-Klipa
Martha Bebinger
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