Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Thursday, authorizing Maryland to provide $10 million in food assistance statewide.
The administration is still developing how it will disperse the funds, but Gov. Moore says the allocation will go to food banks, local nonprofits, faith-based organizations, food kitchens, farmers markets, school pantries and mobile food units statewide.
The announcement comes within 48 hours of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds running out due to the government shutdown, which will leave over 680,000 Marylanders without federal food assistance on Nov. 1.
“What’s really unfortunate, is that these are actions that the state of Maryland is taking because the actions that the federal government is taking are actively hurting our people,” Gov. Moore said.
Moore’s decision strays from neighboring states’ plans, like Virginia and Delaware, to directly fund SNAP benefits for the month of November, which would cost Maryland around $123 million.
At a joint committee hearing Wednesday, Maryland lawmakers expressed support for tapping into the state’s $2.25 billion Rainy Day Fund to pay for November SNAP benefits.
However, Moore insists the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is legally required to draw from a $6 billion reserve fund to continue providing SNAP benefits amid the shutdown and that states should not have to pick up the tab.
“To ask any single state to say that you are going to cover down on a quarter of a billion dollars a month because the federal government is going to break the law is not a fair ask for any governor or any state inside this entire country,” Moore said, going on to say he has no confidence the federal government will reimburse states for covering SNAP benefits when the government reopens.
Maryland and over two dozen Democratic attorneys general and governors are suing the USDA over the suspension of funds and are seeking a temporary restraining order to immediately turn benefits back on.
Moore also cited the need to be diligent in how it spends state dollars in defense on not covering the $123 million cost of SNAP benefits, noting federal furloughs and other program funding lapses are putting strain on Maryland’s already tight budget.
“I think that we have shown that not only are we going to make sure that we're protecting and taking care of our people, but that also we're going to ensure that there is a real measure of fiscal discipline when it comes to how Maryland is going to manage its finances,” the governor said.
The $10 million in food assistance funding will come from Maryland’s $200 million Fiscal Responsibility Fund, which is generally used to fund capital projects.
Moore’s executive order allows the Department of Budget and Management to transfer the funds to the Department of Human Services (DHS), who will then disperse the monies to food assistance entities across the state.
He also ensured state matching dollars could still be used for Maryland Market Money, a program that matches federal nutrition benefits for customers who spend those benefits at a farmers market.
Despite SNAP recipients not having federal dollars to spend at farmers markets next month, recipients will still be able to utilize the state’s matching dollars when purchasing fresh food at farm stands.
DHS will continue to process new SNAP applications, and the department encourages program participants to keep their information up to date to continue to receive all benefits when the shutdown ends.
