Kemp resists calls to use state funds to keep food aid available in Georgia during shutdown

A critical federal food assistance program that benefits roughly 1.4 million Georgians is on track to run out of funding this weekend, as the federal government shutdown approaches a full month. Yet while governors in both red and blue states have taken steps to ease the burden on people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition […]

Gov. Brian Kemp continued to call on congressional Democrats to end the shutdown in a statement Thursday. Photo by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

A critical federal food assistance program that benefits roughly 1.4 million Georgians is on track to run out of funding this weekend, as the federal government shutdown approaches a full month.

Yet while governors in both red and blue states have taken steps to ease the burden on people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, state leaders in Georgia have largely stayed quiet, with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp resisting calls from Democratic lawmakers to use state resources to keep the food assistance flowing.

In the interim, food banks and pantries across the state are preparing for an influx of visitors, many of whom could face the abrupt loss of food aid starting this weekend. 

Georgia Democrats call on governor to use state funds to keep food benefits flowing during shutdown

However, advocates worry that if SNAP benefits are cut off, local organizations may not be able to meet such a rapid increase in demand. Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, a food bank based in Savannah that serves approximately 20,000 people each month, said it will struggle to fill the void if the shutdown continues into November.

“SNAP in the state of Georgia and across the United States provides about six meals to every one that the food bank provides,” said Mary Jane Crouch, the group’s executive director. “So realistically, we don’t have enough to be able to meet that gap for a very long period of time.”

Kelly Klein, the chief philanthropy officer at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, echoed Crouch’s sentiment.

“Even before the government shutdown happened on Oct. 1, we were already seeing an increased need for food,” she said. As the federal government shutdown drags on, she said she expects that food pantries will continue to feel the strain. 

Other organizations are scrambling to find  ways to tackle the growing demand for food assistance. The Atlanta Community Food Bank announced Thursday that it will draw $5 million from its reserves due to the government shutdown, increasing its distribution by nearly 85%. 

New Disabled South, a nonprofit group that advocates for people with disabilities across 14 Southern states, temporarily opened applications for direct cash assistance to SNAP recipients, allowing families to apply for one-time payments of $250, and individuals to apply for $100 in assistance. 

Dom Kelly, the organization’s co-founder, president and CEO, said that the cash payments were meant to help people with disabilities access the kinds of food they need, which are not always readily available at food pantries.

“We’re talking about people who would love to be able to go to a food bank or a food pantry to get food but unfortunately, their disability makes it harder for them to be able to eat just any food,” he said. “So much of the food that’s at a food bank or a food pantry isn’t actually good for them, whether they have celiac disease or some other type of disease.”

In the two days the application was live, Kelly added, the organization received nearly 19,000 applications, totaling more than $4 million in requested aid. Roughly 40% of those requests came from Georgia residents, he said, urging state leaders to take action.

“The state of Georgia has a $14.6 billion budget surplus,” he said, referring to the state’s reserves. “That is our money that we paid in to be able to help people that’s sitting in a savings account doing nothing.”

The governor’s office and the Georgia Department of Human Services both released statements Thursday, arguing that it would be impossible to fund the existing SNAP program using state funding, because they said the mechanism to load money onto beneficiary cards rests with the federal government. They also said that, according to the USDA, there is no provision under current law for states to be reimbursed. 

Kemp, who is currently on an overseas trade mission, continued to call on congressional Democrats to end the shutdown in a statement Thursday.

“The only way to quickly and effectively resolve this issue is for Democrats to vote to reopen the federal government immediately,” he said.

State Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, a Duluth Democrat, urged Kemp to take action during a Wednesday press conference at the state Capitol in Atlanta, arguing that he could declare a state of emergency to help address the issue.

“I know that he’s saying, well, there’s technical difficulties, but he’s the governor of Georgia,” she said. “I’m asking him to figure it out.”

She also highlighted states like Louisiana and Virginia, which have announced they will use state funding to assist SNAP recipients during the shutdown.

“We are not a state that’s in a deficit,” Islam Parkes added. “We have a surplus. We can use it, and it’s up to the governor to do so.”

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