Texas Democratic lawmakers have urged Gov. Greg Abbott to use his executive authority to provide emergency state funding — a move he has done before — to offset the looming federal suspension of SNAP benefits this weekend for 3.5 million low-income Texans.
More than 50 Texas House Democrats signed a letter sent to Abbott on Thursday urging the governor to tap the same authority he used during COVID-19, the Uvalde shooting, and border operations “to save millions of Texas families from going hungry until federal funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is restored.”
On Saturday, the federal government will halt all SNAP assistance, also known as food stamps, to more than 42 million Americans who depend on it monthly because of the federal shutdown prompted by a partisan divide over whether the American Care Act health insurance tax credits should be extended.
The halt means more than 3.4 million low-income Texans, including 1.7 million children, who depend on a monthly average of $400 in federal food aid, will go without it unless it’s replaced.
Of the estimated $8 billion in federal food assistance funding scheduled for distribution in November, $614 million would go to Texas SNAP recipients.
“We therefore respectfully request that you declare a state of emergency and authorize the temporary use of state funds to maintain SNAP benefits for Texas households until the federal government resumes normal operations,” the Texas Democrats' letter stated.
State Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, said he and other lawmakers first reached out last week to Abbott’s office following news that the SNAP funds for November would be halted, asking whether the governor would declare an emergency and move funding from other agencies. “I haven’t gotten a response other than they’re going to look into it,” Walle said. “This is a human capital natural disaster.”
Walle, who recalled how, as a child, his own family received SNAP assistance, said it was critical to keep SNAP dollars moving uninterrupted. “Some folks need to have an appreciation for hungry children, the elderly, and disabled people.”
The Texas Tribune asked Abbott’s office if he will intervene with emergency funding or join in a lawsuit to request the federal government to restore SNAP funding in November. Abbott’s office declined to comment on those routes, but said Democrats in Congress should do their part to lift the shutdown so that SNAP funding can be restored.
“There’s a simple and immediate solution to this problem that could be achieved tomorrow. Senate Democrats should immediately end their government shutdown by approving legislation that already passed the U.S. House that will fully fund the government and ensure Texans don’t go hungry,” Abbott’s statement said.
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which administers SNAP benefits, referred questions on agency contingency funds that can be used on SNAP to Abbott’s office.
Ways Texas could pay for SNAP in November
Abbott has previously used emergency funds to address food insecurity, mostly during natural disasters.
In 2017, Abbott expanded food benefits for Hurricane Harvey victims through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, providing two months of benefits to all eligible Texans in affected regions.
The Texas governor has also used emergency funds to mitigate the costs of the COVID-19 pandemic, provide mental health counseling following the shooting at Robb Elementary School and to reinforce the border in 2021.
In 2022, Abbott redirected hundreds of millions of dollars from state agencies to fund the border, including $210 million over a two-year period from the state’s Health and Human Services Commission, which administers SNAP.
Texas has over $20 billion in surplus to lean on if necessary, but lawmakers have been particular about how they use these funds. Tapping this rainy day fund — officially called the Economic Stabilization Fund — would require state lawmakers to come back to Austin to convene in a legislative session, according to Walle’s office.
Other states across the country that might not have such a surplus have chosen the legal route.
A coalition of officials in more than 25 states is suing the USDA over the looming suspension of the federal funding for food aid. However, Texas hasn’t joined the lawsuit, meaning that no matter the outcome in court, it won’t solve the problem here.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a Massachusetts district court, was brought by various states, including Kentucky, Kansas, California, North Carolina, and Oregon. They are asking a federal judge to order the USDA to provide benefits for November for the nearly 25 million people within their borders by tapping into over $4 billion in contingency funds.
“Our TRO seeks relief on behalf of the 26 plaintiff jurisdictions. But it is entirely up to the federal government whether they wish to unlock funds for all states whose residents rely on SNAP,” Matt Platkin, the attorney general of New Jersey, told the Texas Tribune.
The plaintiffs argue that cutting off these payments in their states would threaten widespread hunger and food insecurity.
Congress could address the issue — without ending the shutdown — by passing a standalone bill to fund SNAP. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, has introduced a bill to do so, though Senate Republican leadership has not scheduled a vote on it.
Federal versus state intervention
SNAP funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has put states on notice this month that any state funds used to cover SNAP will not be reimbursed.
“The President, who found $40 billion for Argentina, who is reopening USDA offices to get billions to farmers suffering from his tariff taxes, and who boasts that he can do almost anything, is refusing to tap a rainy-day fund to help seniors, veterans, and families with children. It’s not the well that’s run out, as Republicans claim; it’s their empathy for others that has run dry,” said U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, in a statement sent out Wednesday.
But as the lawmakers’ letter to Abbott points out: “States do have the power to take temporary emergency measures, using state funds to prevent hunger and stabilize families while Congress resolves the federal impasse.”
Some states have sent emergency funding to local food banks. But others, most notably the Republican governors of Louisiana and Virginia, have declared the looming SNAP suspension an emergency and are tapping their state funds to continue to fund their food assistance programs. “Texas should do the same,” the letter Texas Democrats states.
When asked by The Texas Tribune about any emergency action he would be willing to take to restore SNAP or fund local food banks, Abbott in a statement said the solution is that Democrats in Congress should reopen the federal government.
"While Democrats use low-income Texans as bargaining chips, Texas agencies are coordinating with community partners to connect families to existing assistance until the federal government gets back to work,” Abbott said in a statement.
His statement pointed to existing resources Texans can seek to pay for food.
He suggested that Texans who need assistance in the coming weeks visit 211Texas.org or dial 2-1-1 to connect with information on a range of services, including food, housing, utilities, and health and medical services.
He also pointed to the Texas WIC program, which also provides nutritious foods, education, and other services, but it’s primarily for low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5. WIC has been criticized for its restrictions on what food can actually be purchased, forcing many families to abandon it by a child’s first birthday.
He also references Thriving Texas Families. This state program provides supplies to pregnant women and families as a measure to support adoption over abortion, but other than infant formula, the program is not known as a food assistance program.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
