Maryland Governor Declares State of Emergency Amid Federal Shutdown, Allocates $10 Million to Food Banks
Maryland Governor Wes Moore yesterday declared a state of emergency and allocated $10 million in emergency funding to food security partners across the state, responding to the ongoing federal government shutdown and the potential loss of SNAP benefits for hundreds of thousands of residents.
The governor’s executive order aims to mitigate the economic fallout from the shutdown, which has already eliminated 15,000 federal jobs in Maryland, and address the threat of the Trump Administration withholding November SNAP benefits. The funding will be drawn from the Fiscal Responsibility Fund and distributed to food banks and related organizations. “We are going to keep our state government open. We are going to protect critical programs like Medicaid and food assistance for as long as we can,” Moore stated in a released video. This action comes as the shutdown continues to disrupt services and create financial hardship for federal workers and those reliant on federal assistance programs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on October 10 that SNAP debit cards would not be reloaded on November 1 if the federal government remained closed. Governor Moore emphasized the severity of the situation, calling it a “human-made” emergency. “I understand the weight of what it means to put this state under a state of emergency, particularly when the state of emergency is not a natural disaster — when it is a human-made one,” he said. Maryland’s congressional delegation, including Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, voiced their support for the governor’s actions, criticizing the Trump Administration’s handling of the situation and calling for a swift resolution to the shutdown. You can learn more about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on the USDA website.
County executives across Maryland also praised the governor’s response, highlighting the potential devastation the SNAP cuts would inflict on local communities. Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier noted that approximately 100,000 residents in her county rely on SNAP benefits. Governor Moore and his administration will continue to assess the situation week by week and explore further measures to support Marylanders impacted by the federal government’s inaction, while also joining a multi-state lawsuit against the USDA to restore SNAP funding.
