Gov. Tina Kotek announced she’s sending $5 million in state funding to food banks on Wednesday as Oregon braces for a cutoff of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program expected at the start of November.
The program, often called SNAP, is federally funded and the cutoff is due to the ongoing partial government shutdown. The program feeds more than 1 in 6 people in the state, who use the money to buy groceries. Oregon has warned that more than 750,000 people in the state could lose their monthly benefits.
Kotek is tapping unspent funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the federal program that aids low-income families with children. With the federal food assistance program being cut off, the expectation is that more people will turn toward food banks.
Kotek’s announcement comes on the heels of Washington’s Gov. Bob Ferguson directing $2.2 million to food banks in his state earlier this week to offset the loss of SNAP benefits. The two states have joined a multi-state lawsuit trying to force the Trump administration to continue to fund the program as the shutdown continues. The states want the USDA to use contingency funds to keep the program running.
The governor’s executive order also declares a 60-day food security emergency, which will allow the state’s emergency department to better coordinate with nonprofits and local governments. Kotek also called on Oregonians to donate food and help their communities.
“It’s unacceptable that families are being used as leverage in a political standoff in Washington, D.C.,” the governor said in a statement apparently written from Tokyo, as she comes back from an international trade mission. “While the Republican-controlled Congress fails to do its job, Oregon will do ours. We stand up for each other, whether it’s fires, floods, or any other crisis. I call on all Oregonians to do what they can to help their neighbors.”
Congress has failed to pass a short-term spending package to fund the government several times since the shutdown began Oct. 1. The shutdown is currently the second-longest in U.S. history.
Shortly before Kotek’s announcement, state Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, who announced she’s running for governor this week, criticized Kotek for not acting with enough urgency to provide assistance.
“It’s been weeks since notices went out to Oregonians that SNAP benefits would end. It’s clear Governor Kotek is not acting with urgency to protect struggling families,” Drazan said in a statement.
Officials from the Oregon Food Bank praised the governor, saying the funding was coming at a critical time. But they also said they could not provide the same level of assistance as SNAP.
“Oregon Food Bank, our regional food banks, and network of more than 1,200 food assistance sites are working to meet rising demand and move food where it’s needed most,” the statement read. “However, no food bank can replace SNAP. For every meal we provide, SNAP provides nine.”
For food resource information, go to needfood.oregon.gov or alimentos.oregon.gov. People can also call 2-1-1 for information.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.