(The Center Square) – Partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are going out to recipients, the Tennessee Department of Human Services said.
Recipients who usually receive the benefits, known as SNAP, between the 1st and 12th of the month will get them Wednesday, according to the announcement posted on the department’s website. Others will get them on their normal date.
The department said it did not know when the remainder of the benefits would be issued.
The SNAP program halted due to the federal government shutdown. Democrats in the Legislature asked Gov. Bill Lee to use the state’s surplus to fund benefits for the state’s nearly 700,000 recipients. They asked for a special session.
Lee launched a platform, FeedTN.org, to provide resources for Tennesseans who were not receiving their benefits. The governor said Tennessee officials did not have the ability to load state dollars onto the EBT cards for the federally funded and operated program.
Georgia officials said Sunday they would begin distributing about 65% of benefits to recipients, according to the Georgia Department of Human Services website.
The federal government shut down on Oct. 1 after Congress could not reach an agreement on a funding plan. SNAP recipients received October’s benefits, but did not receive November’s.
The U.S. Senate approved a measure on Sunday that would end the government shutdown, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives. A vote by the House is expected late Wednesday.
