As SNAP benefits are set to lapse on Saturday, 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.
Food banks, food pantries, farmers markets and organizations across the state will receive the funds, Moore announced Thursday at the Anne Arundel County Food Bank.
“And what’s really unfortunate is that these are actions that the state of Maryland is taking because the actions that the federal government is taking are actively hurting our people,” he said.
Moore said the Trump administration is to blame for the loss of SNAP during the shutdown.
“What we’re seeing from this federal administration is not just cruel, it’s illegal. They are breaking the law to show how cruel they can be,” Moore said.
He said the administration refuses to release contingency funds that could cover the program that serves 680,000 Marylanders.
“Donald Trump is refusing to deploy emergency federal funding that would keep food assistance programs running during the shutdown. And by doing that, I want to be clear, he is breaking the law,” Moore said.
Some Republican lawmakers criticized Moore’s announcement.
“… Governor Moore chose the harder, less effective path, handing responsibility off to nonprofits despite his administration’s poor track record of accountability in that space. Marylanders deserved better than confusion and headlines,” Maryland Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey said in part.
When asked repeatedly why he isn’t tapping into the state’s $2 billion rainy day fund, Moore said no state can afford to cover the cost of the federal program, and the Trump administration has not assured that it would pay that money back if Maryland temporarily paid for SNAP.
“Not only are we going to make sure that we are protecting and taking care of our people, but that also we’re going to ensure that there’s a real measure of fiscal discipline when it comes to how Maryland is going to manage its finances,” he said.
State officials said they would give more information soon on how the $10 million will be disbursed.
from Local – NBC4 Washington https://ift.tt/Zm1nauw
0 Comments