Hamilton County Job and Family Services Director Michael Patton told county commissioners Tuesday that the ongoing government shutdown has put his agency in uncharted territory when it comes to SNAP.
The federal assistance people use to buy groceries is set to run out Nov. 1 if lawmakers don't agree on a spending plan. That could cost as many as 97,000 Hamilton County residents their benefits. That includes more than 40,000 children and 11,000 seniors, Patton said.
"If it comes to pass, this is unprecedented," he said. "I've been doing this for 32 years and this is not something I've seen in my career get to this point."
The government has been shut down since Oct. 1, when Congress failed to pass a budget deal over disagreements about health care funding. Democrats want Republicans to undo cuts they made over the summer to Medicaid. And they want renewal of subsidies that help moderate income people buy health insurance on marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act.
Roughly 24 million Americans rely on SNAP for food assistance.
President Donald Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson have indicated they will not tap a contingency fund for the program should federal funding lapse at the end of the week. More than 20 states have sued to try and force the Trump administration to pay SNAP benefits during the shutdown. Trump and Johnson say the contingency fund is for natural disasters and not government shutdowns.
Potential gap funding
That has Hamilton County leaders in crisis mode. Commissioner Denise Driehaus called on Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to fill any gaps left by lack of federal funds — perhaps by using part of the state's $3.94 billion rainy day fund.
"Those dollars were set aside for a moment of crisis, and right now, it is raining for families in Hamilton County and the state of Ohio," she said. "So we're calling on Governor DeWine and the legislature to release some of the rainy day funds for gap funding until we have the federal government open up for business."
WVXU asked Gov. DeWine about the possibility of state funding for SNAP during a speaking event in Cincinnati last week. DeWine said he wasn't optimistic about the potential at the time, but that it was something he was looking into.
The state faces significant legal, financial, and administrative challenges that might keep it from being able to extend the $263 million Ohioans receive in monthly federal food benefits on its own, DeWine said. About 1.4 million Ohioans receive SNAP.
How other local agencies could be affected
Driehaus said talks continue about supplemental state funding for SNAP as the Nov. 1 deadline draws near. Local food pantries are preparing to help people affected by the shutdown, but say they've already seen higher than average demand even before the budget impasse began.
The Trump administration has tapped contingency funding for another program, WIC, which provides nutrition assistance for families with young children. The federal government injected an extra $150 million earlier in October, and the administration indicated it could fund $300 million more for the program if the shutdown wears on. The local health departments that administer WIC have said so far, those benefits are still available.
There are concerns about the impact a longer-lasting shutdown could have on other programs for low-income people. Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority CEO Greg Johnson told county commissioners and reporters Tuesday his organization will start to feel impacts starting next month.
Funding for the maintenance and day-to-day operation of public housing complexes runs out in the middle of next month unless a budget deal is struck.
"As of November 15, there would be limited services to our properties," he said. "What we would have to do is make some hard decisions making sure we're addressing some of the most immediate needs of those properties for our families because the only thing we'd be receiving is the rents from our current residents."
Currently, those rents only account for about 25% of the operating costs of CMHA's 4,600 public housing units. And there are even broader implications should the shutdown go longer, Johnson said. Funds paying Section 8 landlords and property owners with project-based vouchers will run out Jan. 1.
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