Louisiana is taking steps to make sure those who rely on food stamps will still receive their SNAP benefits despite the federal government shutdown. The USDA funds SNAP, but because of the shutdown the federal agency is not allocating any SNAP funding for November. Louisiana Senate President Cameron Henry says they are planning on using state dollars to make sure people do not go hungry.
“I think we have found a way to provide about $150 million to LDH. Or have LDH use some of their existing money to cover the SNAP shortfall,” Henry said.
The Louisiana Department of Health oversees the SNAP program in Louisiana. Henry says there’s likely $150 million available in LDH’s budget that can cover the costs for November.
In an emergency declaration order, Governor Jeff Landry also suggested using money from the Rainy Day fund as a SNAP stopgap. Henry says they will look at that option if the government shutdown drags on.
“We could possibly use it, if we have to go into December, because we’ll have a long enough lead time to go through the ballot measures and go through all the necessary steps to have that take place,” Henry explained.
There are 792,000 Louisianians who rely on SNAP benefits to purchase food every month and the state receives $150 million every month from the USDA to provide the food assistance. The Louisiana House passed a resolution on Friday urging the LDH to provide SNAP funding in November and Henry says the Louisiana Senate will take up the same resolution on Wednesday.
“We’re working with them right now to see how much cash they have on hand,” Henry said.
It’s unclear if the state will be reimbursed for covering SNAP costs in November. It’s also unknown when the federal government shutdown will end as negotiations are at a stalemate.
