(The Center Square) – Recipients in Tennessee of food assistance from the government are being forewarned to prepare for a lapse of benefits starting Nov. 1 because of the federal government shutdown.
Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, blamed congressional Democrats for the stalemate.
“Congress has a responsibility to fund the federal government, and while Democrats continue to hold federal dollars hostage, my administration is working with members of the faith community and nonprofit partners to ensure Tennessee families do not go hungry,” Lee said in a statement. “I share the frustration of hardworking Tennesseans who will be impacted by this temporary lapse, and sincerely hope Democrats will choose to put the American people ahead of politics and reopen the government now.”
The Republican majority U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution in September. The Republican majority Senate is stalled in fillibuster led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., unable to get seven votes to reach the threshold of 60 needed to pass the legislation.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is funded and operated solely by the federal government, Lee said.
“Tennessee is unable to utilize state dollars to provide the benefit, as states do not have a mechanism to load benefits onto customer cards,” the governor’s office said.
Nearly 700,000 Tennessee residents receive SNAP benefits, totalling $146 million each month, according to the governor.
“This delay of nutrition assistance will create severe impacts on families who depend on the benefits,” the governor’s office said.
In addition, farmers, grocers, and retailers in rural Tennessee earn income from the sale of food, Lee said.
Without action from Congress, no new benefits will be added to cards on Nov. 1, although recipients can still access unused funds from October, the governor’s office said.
“We understand that this situation creates anxiety for many families, employees, and community partners who depend on the SNAP program, and when federal operations resume, we will be ready to act quickly,” state Department of Human Service Commissioner Clarence H. Carter said in a statement. “We understand that this situation creates anxiety for many families, employees, and community partners who depend on the SNAP program, and when federal operations resume, we will be ready to act quickly.”
Democrats in the Legislature have called on the governor to call a special legislative session to appropriate state funding to address the pending crisis.
“We, as state officials, have a duty to step up and lead so that innocent children and disabled and low-income adults do not go hungry or lose vital aid when our state has the means to help them,” state Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashvile, chairman of the Democratic caucus, said in a statement.
