SNAP benefits to expire if shutdown continues

NASHVILLE — If the federal shutdown persists, more than 37,000 people in Northeast Tennessee may go without food stamps. The Tennessee Department of Human Services said last week that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for more than 700,000 Tennesseans will be unavailable for November if the federal shutdown continues into the month. And it's not currently clear whether the end is in sight. The federal government shutdown entered its 24th day Friday, becoming the second-longest funding lapse in modern history. The SNAP program feeds one in every 10 Tennesseans. State Sen. Rusty Crowe, R-Johnson City, said the Northeast region is particularly vulnerable, especially as people continue to heal from the damage caused by Hurricane Helene last year. Many people in the region rely on SNAP, Crowe said, because they are still making payments on vehicles, mortgages and land which was devastated by the floods. On top of that, there are fewer jobs available in the area following the devastation wrought to local industrial parks, businesses and manufacturing plants. "[Northeast Tennesseans] lost their homes, and then they realized they don't even have the land anymore because the river is now their home," said Crowe. "They've lost their car, and if they had tractors or trucks, they've lost all that. Then they try to go to work, and there's not a business there anymore, so they can't work there anymore." Crowe said that if SNAP payments end up running out this November — and the federal government doesn't provide any emergency funding — then he believes the state will need to dip into its own funds to temporarily cover benefits. Crowe presented two options for funding, the first being the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) fund. Crowe said these funds have already been earmarked for other purposes, but he couldn't see a better use for it than for food. The second, less-likely option would be for the state to dip into its $2 billion rainy-day fund. However, the Tennessean reported the Governor's Office and leadership in both House and Senate chambers said the state will not be stepping in if SNAP benefits do expire in November, leaving hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans to face some tough financial decisions. Historically, the federal government has funded the majority of states' SNAP programs. But states have recently been made to pick up the tab from the federal government following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. One state report estimates Tennessee will be on the hook for more than $100 million next year. With the state already forced to pay millions more toward the SNAP program, it may be unlikely they will cover even more of the federal government's share. Congress has failed to pass at least 12 bills to restore funding to the government as Democrats and Republicans remain in a standoff over healthcare. Both sides point fingers at each other for using the shutdown for political leverage. Crowe said the SNAP benefits will represent a critical juncture in which both sides will be forced to compromise and restore funding to the federal government. "I think both the Democrats and Republicans want to help," said Crowe. "Neither side wants to have to go into a situation where these families don't have SNAP money. Hopefully that issue will kick them into trying to compromise."