By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency on Thursday to help maintain food aid for state residents as a three-week-long U.S. government shutdown threatens to halt federal benefits.
Youngkin said the move would allow him to use emergency funds to assist Virginians in the absence of federal appropriations to fund the food benefits administered by states.
More than 850,000 Virginia residents would feel the impact if Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits run out on November 1, he said.
The emergency declaration by Virginia, the first state to issue one, comes after other states warned food aid recipients this week that their benefits may not be distributed next month if the shutdown continues.
More than 41 million Americans receive monthly SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, and nearly 7 million more people get aid from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC.
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said he would deploy the state’s National Guard and fast-track $80 million to support food banks while the federal shutdown drags on.
The government shutdown is now in its 23rd day – the second longest in history – with no end in sight. Both Republicans and Democrats blame the other side for the shutdown.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Frank McGurty and Cynthia Osterman)
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