DOVER – Democratic legislative leadership – including Speaker of the House Melissa Minor-Brown, Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola, House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris, Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, House Majority Whip Ed Osienski, Senate Majority Whip S. Elizabeth Lockman, Joint Finance Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Kim Williams and Sen. Trey Paradee, andJoint Capital Improvement Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Debra Heffernan and Sen. Jack Walsh – sent a letter to Governor Matt Meyer on Tuesday urging him to authorize funding to ensure uninterrupted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for Delawareans during the month of November.
Earlier this month, the U.S Department of Agriculture informed the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services that due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, SNAP benefits for November will not be issued. In their letter, Democratic leaders called on the Governor to authorize funding to bridge the gap and prevent an interruption in benefits for the 120,000 Delawareans who rely on SNAP to feed their families.
“No Delawarean should go hungry if we can prevent it,” said House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown.
“As a person who has had to rely on state assistance at a vulnerable time in my life, I understand how frightening it is not to know where your next meal is coming from. In just a matter of days, tens of thousands of residents who rely on SNAP benefits will have that same feeling.
“We know that Governor Meyer shares our goal of protecting our most vulnerable Delawareans, and we look forward to working with him to protect this important safety net.”
“Republicans in Washington are playing political games with resources needed to feed the most vulnerable Americans. Withholding federal funding for SNAP benefits and allowing families to go hungry is heartless and it’s dangerous. But here in Delaware, we’re not going to let that happen,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola.
“There are times for us to deliberate whether it is reasonable to deliberate about how we spend our state resources — this is not one of those times.”
