(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost joined by 18 other state attorneys general are urging U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to act immediately to prevent the 42 million Americans who benefit from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from going hungry.
“No family should go hungry because Washington lacks the appetite for consensus,” Yost said. “It is imperative that Congress takes immediate action to ensure the continuation of SNAP funding. The wellbeing of countless Americans hinges on their actions, and the time to prevent further suffering is now.”
Yost authored the letter to Schumer, warning that Washington’s political brinkmanship is putting working families, seniors and people with disabilities at risk. He and his fellow attorneys general are calling on Schumer to support a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open and SNAP funded.
Congress can stop the threat right now by passing a clean continuing resolution that keeps essential services funded and protects those who rely on them. You have the power to prevent a crisis that is entirely avoidable.
The letter follows a notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicating that SNAP benefits will not be issued on Nov. 1 if the shutdown persists. The attorneys general call on Schumer “to do what you know is right” by temporarily funding the program.
Letting those benefits lapse while political negotiations drag on would send the wrong message to every working parent and senior who plays by the rules.
The government has been shut down since Oct. 1 over an impasse on Capitol Hill regarding competing congressional spending bills.
Joining Yost in signing the letter to Schumer were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
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