DeLaney calls on township trustees to help fund food assistance in light of failure from state and federal government

As the federal government shutdown enters its second month, the distribution of food assistance benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) remains in jeopardy. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent a letter in October directing states to hold all SNAP benefit distribution for the month of November. On Friday, Oct. 31, a judge ruled that the USDA must use their contingency fund for SNAP. However, this contingency fund contains about $4.65 billion, which does not meet the full $8 billion that SNAP recipients receive each month.  

During the Oct. 29 meeting of the State Budget Committee, State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) made a motion to help protect the health of Hoosiers. Rep. Porter recommended the allocation of $112 million to the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to cover SNAP for all recipients and to provide an additional $10 million to Indiana’s food banks for each month of the government shutdown. All Republican members voted no, and the motion was defeated.

State Rep Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) issued the following statement: 

“We all know that our federal government has failed us. But sadly, Republican state legislators and the governor’s representative on the State Budget Committee refused to even ask the governor to help these families. 

“Almost 600,000 Hoosiers depend on SNAP to be their reliable food source – one in eight of those people are children. The fact that 600,000 Hoosiers are unsure if they are going to be able to put food on the table is a cataclysmic failure of government. 

“Private citizens across the state have to take matters into their own hands by donating to food banks and volunteering their time. While this is commendable and I encourage more of it, it is still not enough to meet the need. 

“We are down to one last resort. Even if the USDA contingency fund is put to use, SNAP benefits will not be distributed in full or on time. I call on our one thousand township trustees to use their substantial reserve funds to provide food assistance for SNAP eligible households. According to a memo from the Indiana Township Association, there is a legal basis for township trustees to provide food assistance in emergency conditions, such as a disruption to federal benefits. 

“Some township trustees have millions of dollars in their rainy day funds. If hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers facing food insecurity doesn’t constitute a storm, I don’t know what does. It is up to the trustees to make up for the inaction of the national government and our governor and support our communities, both rural and urban.”