Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Thursday and said $10 million in funds will be distributed to food banks across the state, ahead of the national pause in federal food assistance benefits in November.
About 680,000 Maryland residents who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, commonly known as food stamps, will not receive food assistance because of the government shutdown, according to a notice on the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.
During a press conference at Anne Arundel County Foodbank, Moore said this funding will help food banks that are facing increased demand as a result of the loss of SNAP benefits and federal furloughs.
In an earlier statement Friday, Moore said Maryland is unable to supplement SNAP’s federal funding using its state funds because Trump’s administration has not committed to reimbursing these expenses.
[Here’s what to know about the nationwide pause in SNAP benefits]
The emergency grant funding will instead come from Maryland’s Fiscal Responsibility Fund, according to a state news release, which holds excess tax revenue that can pay for projects not allocated in the state budget.
Moore also condemned President Donald Trump for the government’s prolonged shutdown and for not issuing emergency federal funding to distribute SNAP benefits.
“The money has been appropriated. They are choosing not to distribute it,” Moore said. “This is heartless, this is cruel and this is unforgivable.”
This announcement comes as Maryland and 24 other states joined a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the USDA for their suspension of SNAP benefits. The lawsuit urges the agriculture department to use contingency funds to finance the federal food assistance program.
Moore said the decision to declare a state of emergency was “not made lightly” and Maryland officials will continue to monitor the situation.
“This is an ongoing pledge that I and we are making to the people of the state of Maryland,” Moore said. “We refuse to abandon you. We refuse to leave you behind.”
