South Dakota Governor Opposes Using State Funds for Federal Food Assistance Gap
South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden stated Monday that he does not support tapping into state reserve funds to cover a funding shortfall in a food assistance program caused by the federal government shutdown. The comments came as Rhoden volunteered at Feeding South Dakota’s Rapid City distribution center.
Federal Shutdown Impact on SNAP
Due to Congress's failure to pass a funding bill to reopen the federal government, the Trump administration announced it would not provide the full benefits this month for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This program assists around 75,000 low-income South Dakotans by loading funds onto cards they use to purchase food. These benefits are typically loaded on the 10th of each month.
Funding Needs for Snap Benefits
- A full month's benefits in South Dakota require about $15 million in federal funding.
- Governor Rhoden expressed that the state cannot afford to replace any part of this funding gap.
“First of all, we don’t have that kind of coin running around to do that for any extended period of time,” said Governor Rhoden.
Unawareness of Legislative Funding Request
Rhoden also mentioned that he was unaware of any funding requests submitted by hunger relief organizations to the South Dakota Legislature to cover the shortfall.
Photo caption: First lady Sandy Rhoden, left, and Gov. Larry Rhoden volunteer at Feeding South Dakota’s Rapid City distribution center on Nov. (Photo by Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)
Author's summary: South Dakota’s governor rejects using state funds to cover SNAP benefits during the federal shutdown, citing lack of resources and unawareness of legislative funding efforts.