Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced in a Monday news release that $62 million from the state’s Fiscal Responsibility Fund will support Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for Maryland residents in November.
This funding comes after the federal government shutdown froze SNAP benefits. The shutdown is on day 35 as of Tuesday. Maryland is one of many states that sued the Trump administration for its suspension of SNAP benefits, which help 680,000 Maryland residents afford nutritious foods.
In response to court orders from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the Trump administration announced that it will fund half of this month’s SNAP benefits.
“One of the first and most basic priorities of governing is to ensure that families do not go hungry,” Moore wrote in a statement on Monday. “We will continue to do everything in our power to protect our people in these difficult times.
[Here’s where to get free food assistance in Prince George’s County]
Moore previously declared a state of emergency in Maryland on Oct. 30 in response to economic disruption caused by mass layoffs of federal workers and essential benefits, including SNAP, being cut off.
An additional $10 million from the Maryland Fiscal Responsibility Fund — which holds excess tax revenue that pays for projects not allocated in the state budget — would also be provided to Maryland food banks and food assistance organizations, Moore announced on Oct. 30.
Maryland comptroller Brooke Lierman released a statement applauding Moore for his decision to release funding for SNAP benefits.
Lierman wrote that SNAP not only provides families with essential nutrients but helps boost the economy by supporting more than 13,000 jobs and millions of dollars for Maryland food producers.
[Prince George’s County food banks feeling pressure from high demand, loss of SNAP benefits]
In a campuswide email on Tuesday, University of Maryland president Darryll Pines expressed hope that Moore’s release of funds will help support Maryland residents.
“These difficult times remind us that we are a connected community of care, driven by values that define who we are at the University of Maryland,” Pines wrote in the email.
It’s unclear if state governments will be reimbursed by the federal government for supplementing the partial funds for SNAP benefits, according to Moore’s news release.
“No state can fill the enormous gap created by Donald Trump and his administration,” Moore wrote in his Monday statement. “It’s time for the federal government to do its job and fully fund food assistance.”
