(WHTM) – Pennsylvania’s months-long budget delay and the depletion of SNAP benefits amid a federal shutdown collided last week as lawmakers scrambled to find solutions to help those who will feel an immediate impact.
On Friday Governor Josh Shapiro announced the direction of $5 million worth of state funding to Feeding Pennsylvania to distribute through its network of food banks.
The governor also signed a declaration of disaster emergency to expedite the funds and announced a private sector fundraising effort that’s raised more than $1 million from individuals including Mark Cuban.
“Nearly two million Pennsylvanians rely on SNAP every month — and they shouldn’t have to wonder where their next meal will come from because of the dysfunction in Washington,” said Governor Shapiro. “There is no substitute for the federal government’s decision not to release SNAP benefits, but my Administration is stepping up to use every tool we have — state resources, private sector support, and the compassion of our communities — to make sure our food banks are fully stocked and our families are fed. The federal government has the money to keep people fed — they’re just refusing to use it. In Pennsylvania, I won’t let our families or food banks shoulder that burden alone, and I’m not going to stand by while the federal government lets Pennsylvanians go hungry.”
Shapiro and 24 other states have sued the Trump Administration over the suspension of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown.
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