(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, alongside 18 other state attorneys general, is calling on U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to act swiftly to prevent the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from lapsing, potentially leaving 42 million Americans at risk of hunger.
“No family should go hungry because Washington lacks the appetite for consensus,” Yost said. “Congress must act immediately to ensure SNAP funding continues. The wellbeing of countless Americans depends on it, and the time to prevent further suffering is now.”
In a letter to Schumer, Yost and his colleagues warned that ongoing political gridlock threatens working families, seniors, and people with disabilities. The attorneys general urged support for a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open and SNAP fully funded.
The call to action comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned that SNAP benefits could be halted on Nov. 1 if the government shutdown continues. Yost emphasized that letting benefits lapse while negotiations drag on would send the wrong message to those who rely on the program.
The letter was also signed by attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1 due to an impasse over competing congressional spending bills, leaving critical programs like SNAP in jeopardy.
