SEATTLE — In a matter of hours, more than 900,000 people in Washington will lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as the government shutdown continues into its 31st day.
The loss of SNAP benefits is expected to have a profound impact on the food security of many residents.
Food banks, such as Northwest Harvest in SODO and the Ballard Food Bank, are preparing for increased demand amid a dwindling food supply.
The shutdown has left many without essential food support, prompting rallies in Seattle where people were urging the federal government to restore funding for food assistance.
“Every person deserves the right to nutritious and culturally relevant food, and today we ask that the state of WA fill the gap in SNAP,” said Rev. Jackie Celin, Associate Pastor at the First United Methodist Church of Seattle.
She spoke at an event hosted by a consortium of migrant support groups, including Comunidad Sin Fronteras, Capybara Colectiva, Defend Migrants Alliance, and the International Migrants Alliance, among others.
The group called on lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and in Washington state to step up and secure funding to ensure that SNAP benefits continue.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Democrats for the loss of SNAP funding, stating, “If there was any way to fund SNAP during the Democrat shutdown, you can be assured that your commander in chief would do it.”
Jim Walsh, Chair of the Washington State Republican Party, spoke to KIRO 7 to give his take.
He said that the impasse and government shutdown were purely an issue of lawmakers facing off in the US Senate.
The ending of SNAP benefits is a Washington, D.C. problem and not an Olympia problem, Walsh said.
He cited the fact that the federal government runs the program.
Walsh expressed concern that the funding would run out, but added that many other critical things were also affected by the shutdown.
The chair pointed out that federal workers were not being paid, and other programs were also not moving forward.
He said, “It’s a US Senate issue, it is not a White House issue, but our US Senators from our state, Murray and Cantwell, are trying to point the finger at Trump, the President, to blame-shift. They don’t want to acknowledge that it’s their jam up in their chamber, the US Senate, that’s causing this shutdown.”
While he put some blame on Democrats he actually admitted that passing a budget in the Senate would probably require Democrat votes to push the bill through and reopen the government, “This could be fixed in a couple of hours so let’s stay alert I think there’s a good chance there could be some kind of resolution in the next 24-to-48 hours... the indications that I’m hearing is that nobody wants the shutdown to continue.”
He also stated that while there has been criticism of the President over the shutdown, the real issue lies with Congress. He also stated that the loss of SNAP benefits is not necessarily a partisan issue, noting that the loss of the critical program affects both Republicans and Democrats.
As shelves in food banks across the area go bare, thousands of people in Washington are facing the possibility of days, weeks, or even a month without full food assistance from the SNAP program.
Without SNAP benefits, which were supposed to arrive Saturday, many will lose crucial financial support needed to purchase food.
In response to the growing need, the Salvation Army announced earlier this week that it is hosting a statewide food drive to support its food banks in cooperation with Walmart.
The ongoing government shutdown continues to affect food security for many in Washington, with community organizations and food banks stepping up to fill the gap left by the loss of SNAP benefits.
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