By Stephen Smoot
As October ended and November began, millions of Americans depending on food stamps, also known as the SNAP program, seemed to face a near future with little or no food.
For decades, the United States Congress has failed to pass a budget according to established legal processes. “Regular order” requires the House of Representatives to assemble 15 budget bills, each containing funding orders for a number of related purposes. Congress has months in which to create these bills and give each chamber an opportunity to weigh in prior to passage.
Unable to perform this function, Congress has resorted to “stopgap” funding bills. These arrive quickly, receive no debate, and are pushed hard at the last minute. During particularly intense political battles, these get weaponized to attack the other side. This fall, the shutdown has affected military pay and now food stamps.
Republicans favor a “clean” bill that funds the government until the next stopgap bill is needed. Democrats wish to keep in place programs that use budget moves in certain states to provide Medicaid to illegal aliens. They also wish to keep subsidies of selected Obamacare insurance packages in place that date back to the pandemic years and remain one of the few remaining supports for the once-touted health care reform act.
Food stamp payments halted on Nov. 1 with federal judges stepping in to order the Trump Administration to resume payments. President Donald Trump responded by stating online “I do not want Americans to go hungry” and publicly requested judicial guidance to resume the payments legally, saying, “if we are given the appropriate legal direction by the court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding.”
In question is contingency funding set aside for the program. The United States Department of Agriculture has a reserve of $5.25 billion it can tap, but the need could top $8.5 billion.
Judge John J. McConnell, who issued the order, replied that “the court greatly appreciates the president’s quick and definitive response to this court’s order and his desire to provide the necessary SNAP funding.”
United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent stated that SNAP payments will likely resume by Nov. 5 with the USDA requested to immediately provide a plan of action. The court order states that payments must resume by the end of day Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Fears of a cutoff of benefits sparked a response from West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey. His administration had moved previously to mitigate impacts of the shutdown by assigning state workers to help keep national parks within the state operational.
On Oct. 28, Morrisey announced that the state could provide $13 million toward helping West Virginia residents obtain food if needed. He requested a match of donations from individuals and organizations statewide.
He stated last week that “we’re not going to let our people go hungry. West Virginians take care of our neighbors. It’s times like these that we need to come together as Team West Virginia to help those in need.”
By the 31st, more than $8 million in assistance had come from the state to support food banks. The next day, speculation that the program would halt indefinitely became fact as more than 270,000 people in West Virginia did not receive their food stamps.
Morrissey also activated the West Virginia National Guard to distribute food at key points in the state.
“We stand ready to support our state partner agencies, local food banks and non-profit organizations with critical logistical support to keep food on the table for West Virginia families,” West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Jim Seward was quoted in a release as saying. “Point us at a task, no matter how small or difficult and our soldiers and airmen can get it done.”
On Sunday, the National Guard did get the job done in Franklin as part of Operation Feeding Families. More than 230 soldiers across the Mountain State participated in the operation.
They worked with the Pendleton County Office of Emergency Management to use social media to spread word about food distribution. With the rush into action, delays occurred and trucks intended to arrive at the community building at 10 a.m. did not make it until about two o’ clock in the afternoon and remained in place until 4 p.m.
After conclusion of the operation, the OEM announced that 145 boxes of food made it into the hands of those who needed it. Also, the Facebook page shared “thank you to the National Guard personnel.”
Beyond the National Guard’s efforts, emergency services personnel worked to help make sure that food went to those who needed it most. Dr. King Seegar lauded their efforts to help the most vulnerable in the area.
A large amount of food did not get handed out in Franklin, so emergency management personnel took it to different locations in the county.
Pendleton County’s OEM on Facebook stated, “Our National Guard undertakes many difficult tasks in service to our entire state. Please understand that the logistics of this task, on short notice, is huge. Thank you WFVANG!”
