Trump administration won't tap contingency fund to keep food aid flowing, memo says

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is rejecting the idea of using roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep food aid flowing into November amid the government shutdown, according to a Department of Agriculture memo that surfaced Friday. States temporarily covering the cost of benefits next month will not be reimbursed, the memo says.

Democratic lawmakers and various advocacy groups have been calling on the administration to use the contingency fund to provide partial benefits into November though the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP.

But the two-page document states that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.”

The prospect of SNAP benefits running out as a result of the shutdown has become a major concern in the states. Lawmakers from both political parties are blaming the other for the hardship that would ensue. The program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.

The document states that the contingency fund is reserved for such things as helping individuals in disaster areas. It cited Tropical Storm Melissa, which could become a major hurricane in the coming days, as an example of why it's important to have funds available to mobilize quickly in the event of a disaster. The document was obtained by The Associated Press and was first reported by Axios.

The document blames Democrats for the government shutdown that began Oct. 1 and states that November SNAP benefits would be paid on time “if not for Congressional Democrats blocking government funding.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier Friday told reporters the administration has the resources to ensure than not a single American goes hungry on Nov. 1. He accused Republicans of “trying to weaponize hunger” and called it unconscionable. In a statement later Friday he said it would be a “disgusting dereliction of duty” to halt the food assistance.

Meanwhile, Democrats in the House and Senate have written Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting that she use the contingency fund to cover the bulk of November benefits.

"Choosing not to ensure SNAP benefits reach those in need this November would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities to the American people,” said a letter sent Friday by 214 House Democrats.

The latest department guidance on the contingency fund appears to contrast in some respects with the department's 55-page plan for operations in the event of a shutdown. That plan stated that it's evident Congress has intended for SNAP operations to continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds to cover state administrative expenses and to pay for participant benefits should a funding lapse occur in the middle of the fiscal year.

The department guidance that surfaced Friday says the contingency fund is not available to support the current budget year's benefits because “the appropriations for regular benefits no longer exists.”

The shutdown began when a short-term measure to fund the government failed to advance in the Senate. The current impasse is now the second-longest on record. The administration took steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits were paid in October, with states and lawmakers looking for guidance from the administration for what would happen next month.

The SNAP program is administered by the states. Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia pledged Thursday to keep food aid flowing to recipients in their states, even if the federal program is stalled because of the shutdown. Other states have explored using their own funds to prop up the program but have run into technical roadblocks.

Some states have been telling SNAP recipients to be ready for the benefits to stop. Arkansas, for example, is advising recipients to identify food pantries and other groups that might be able to help, and to ask friends and family for aid.