As neighboring states announce plans to use emergency state dollars to fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that are set to expire on Friday, Maryland does not appear to be following suit.
Due to the federal government shutdown, Congress has not allocated SNAP funding for the month of November and beyond, leaving states scrambling to find alternate methods of support.
The Maryland General Assembly held a joint appropriations committee meeting Wednesday to discuss ways the state could cover the monthly loss of $123 million in federal food assistance.
David Romans with the state Department of Legislative Services told lawmakers the quickest path forward would be for Gov. Wes Moore to declare a state of emergency and draw from the state’s $2.25 billion Rainy Day Fund to cover the benefits.
“Absent a state of emergency, there's really no way for the governor to withdraw money from the Rainy Day Fund or use General Fund balance without actions by the General Assembly. So this is the simplest way, if the governor were looking to act quickly to provide some sort of benefit,” Romans said.
The state aims to keep the Rainy Day Fund at a balance of at least 5% of the General Fund, and Romans says the $123 million deduction to cover SNAP benefits would leave the fund above the mark at around 8%.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike expressed support for the idea, including State Sen. James Rosapepe (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties).
“I'm a hawk on protecting the Rainy Day Fund, as members of these committees know, and this clearly is a five-star hurricane for people– poor people who need food. So I'm totally on board with using Rainy Day Fund dollars to try to deal with this issue,” Rosapepe said.
Governors of Virginia and Delaware have declared states of emergency to allocate state dollars for covering SNAP benefits, while Democrats in the Pennsylvania Senate have proposed $62 million in emergency spending to help recipients.
However, Gov. Moore announced Friday Maryland would not be footing the bill for the federally funded benefits, and his administration doubled down on that notion during the committee hearing.
“There are no reimbursement guarantees, and we seem to have federal courts that are unwilling to check the White House's fiscal authority. The conversations we're having within the Moore-Miller administration are broader than SNAP,” Interim Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management Jake Weissmann told lawmakers.
The Moore administration remains adamant in calling on the federal government to pay for November SNAP benefits with a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) contingency fund that sits at around $6 billion.
However, the USDA argues those funds are “only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits.”
Maryland and over two dozen Democratic attorneys general and governors are suing the USDA over the suspension of funds.
Weissmann went on to explain the state is already facing a severe financial burden aiding in covering the salaries of state employees that are paid by federal dollars and is preparing for hits to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Head Start.
“While we maintain slightly under 8.5% in the rainy day funds, as Mr. Romans mentioned, we're also facing over a billion dollar shortfall next year. You take all these factors together, it's why this administration is taking a week-by-week, iterative approach to this,” he said.
House Appropriations Chair Ben Barnes (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties) pushed back, arguing that while he agrees the federal government should pay for the benefits amid the shutdown, he feels Maryland should step up in the interim.
“You will get no argument, I don't think from many of us on these committees, with regard to that the great villain here is clearly Donald Trump, who seems to relish, as I said at the outset, in human suffering. But that doesn't alleviate us of our responsibilities to step in, and we cannot control him,” Barnes said.
The governor’s Chief Legislative Officer Jeremy Baker said Moore would be making an announcement within the next 24 hours keeping with what has been “seen in other states and and localities around [Maryland],” but would not provide details.
When asked directly by Barnes if the announcement would be similar to Virginia’s announcement to cover SNAP benefits, Baker responded: “I think we continue to work through how we'll address the SNAP shortfall.”
“You've both been chiefs of staff in the legislature, and I have great affection for both of you. You know that the comments here today are woefully inadequate, and we're not really getting much information, but I guess we'll stay tuned for the next 24 hours,” Barnes said to Weissmann and Baker.
Gov. Wes Moore is set to hold a press conference Thursday morning to announce “executive action in support of Marylanders impacted by the federal government shutdown and suspension of November SNAP benefits.”
