Gov. Mark Gordon declared a public welfare emergency on Oct. 31 in an email release. He authorized the state to spend up to $10 million to make sure Wyomingites continue to have access to food when federal funding for SNAP benefits runs out at the start of November. That’s because of the government shutdown.
A federal judge also ordered the Trump administration to pay SNAP benefits on Oct. 31, but how much or when those funds will be provided is unclear.
“Food insecurity doesn’t care about political parties,” said Gordon. “Wyoming will not allow its citizens to go hungry because Washington can’t do its job.”
The program, previously known as food stamps, supports low-income people and serves roughly one in every eight Americans nationwide.
The Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) will work with the state budget director to distribute the money to organizations and churches running food banks and food pantries across the state.
“The stress this government shutdown is placing on local organizations and churches dedicated to feeding hungry Wyomingites is significant, and we recognize their tireless efforts,” said Wyoming DFS Korin Schmidt in the release. “We are prepared to distribute these crucial funds as quickly and efficiently as possible, allowing our partners to concentrate on ensuring their neighbors have food.”
According to Wyoming DFS Public Information Officer Kelly Douglas, an average of 28,364 people accessed SNAP in Wyoming each month last fiscal year, with an average monthly payment of about $185 per person.
That adds up to a little more than $5 million per month, meaning the emergency funds would cover roughly two months of missed SNAP payments. The funding is temporary and will stop when the federal shutdown ends.
Wyoming statute defines a public welfare emergency as “a sudden financial calamity or other occurrence, either of which: (A) Was not foreseeable or predictable at the time of preparation and adoption of the budget and the passage of appropriation measures during the general or budget session of the legislature immediately preceding the occurrence of the emergency; (B) Demands immediate action to insure the proper functioning of state government or to protect the health, safety or welfare or economic well-being of the public or against the loss of essential public services; and (C) For which other funds are not available for expenditure or insufficient to meet the needs of the emergency.”
In a separate press release also released on Oct. 31, Gov. Gordon directed the state DFS to start the process of submitting a waiver to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to exclude certain foods, like candy and pop, from SNAP benefits.
The subject was a topic of conversation at a recent interim Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee meeting, during which lawmakers drafted a bill that would have instigated the same process.
While some lawmakers expressed a desire not to have the federal government fund those purchases, others expressed concerns about how bans on certain SNAP foods could negatively impact rural communities with already-limited access to food.
Gordon’s press release outlined the process moving forward: DFS will conduct a review of SNAP foods with “low or no nutritional value,” and will then use that information to request a waiver from the federal government.
“Our thoughtful approach to innovation and change has made Wyoming's SNAP program one of the best nationally,” said Wyoming DFS Korin Schmidt in the release. “We plan to use this same roadmap as we develop the SNAP Food Restriction Waiver, aiming to encourage healthier options for our SNAP families.”
Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia received approval for their SNAP waivers in August. Earlier this year, the feds granted waivers to Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah.
Some critics of the SNAP waivers say the move “undermines the program’s core mission of reducing hunger and supporting health and food dignity” and “diverts staff time and resources away from critical tasks like reducing error rates and ensuring access,” according to Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research & Action Center.
