D.C. will pick up the tab for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits for District residents if the government shutdown continues, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office announced Thursday evening.
D.C. will fund SNAP for the month of November if necessary.
About 85,000 households and 141,000 residents receive food assistance through SNAP in D.C. The average cost is about $314 per month per household. That means it will cost D.C. $29 million to cover the benefits.
SNAP benefits are set to lapse Saturday.
SNAP benefits, which are distributed from the federal government to states each month, were administered through October because the funds for them were allocated before the shutdown began Oct. 1, NBC News has reported.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court by 22 states and Washington, D.C., says the funds were suspended despite there being contingency funds available to pay out full SNAP benefits in November for all 42 million people who use them.
D.C. also will fund WIC, the nutrition program for women, infants and children that covers things like baby formula, breastfeeding support, and other services for women and children under age 5.
About 8,000 D.C. residents receive WIC benefits. Covering them will cost the District $1.5 million.
In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he’s allocating $10 million to go to food banks and other nonprofits to help those who might lose their federal food assistance.
Virginia has said it will cover SNAP benefits for at least a few weeks.
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