TEXAS HOUSE DEMOCRATS ASK ABBOTT TO DECLARE EMERGENCY AS 3.5 MILLION TEXANS PREPARE TO GO WITHOUT SNAP
Letter urges governor to follow lead set by Republican governors in other states to temporarily fund program
**AUSTIN, TEXAS — **Texas House Democrats today delivered a letter to Governor Greg Abbott asking him to immediately declare a state of emergency and authorize temporary state funds to maintain SNAP benefits for 3.5 million Texans, including 1.7 million children, whose food assistance will be cut off starting November 1st because of the Republican government shutdown.
The letter was signed by 57 members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus and led by the newly formed Committee on the Texas Hunger Crisis.
From the letter: “Families who rely on SNAP to feed their children and seniors who depend on it for groceries will have nowhere to turn. … [S]tates do have the power to take temporary emergency measures, using state funds to prevent hunger and stabilize families while Congress resolves the federal impasse. Governors in Louisiana and Virginia have already taken decisive action to protect their residents during this period of uncertainty. Texas should do the same.”
Indeed, Republican and Democratic governors across the country have already shown leadership and taken decisive action to protect their residents from the fallout of the federal impasse. Texas remains conspicuously absent from the list of states stepping up to protect families from going hungry.
“Starting Friday, more than 1-in-10 Texans will begin to go without the food assistance they’ve relied on to feed their families,” said Rep. Toni Rose (D-Dallas), who is co-chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus Committee on Texas Hunger Crisis. “Texas has a $33 billion rainy day fund. If 3.5 million Texans losing access to food isn't a rainy day, I don't know what is. Texas can lead the way out of this crisis—if we choose to.”
“It’s un-Texan and un-American to turn a blind eye to our neighbors’ suffering,” said committee co-chair Rep. Armando Walle (D-Houston). “Governor Abbott has the clear authority to use state funds to bridge the gap in federal funding and keep Texans fed — he should do it without delay. Texas House Democrats are taking action to protect our neighbors from this unprecedented and manufactured crisis. We will be organizing community resources, coordinating with food banks, and investigating impacts on Texas families and developing solutions that our state can immediately offer to affected communities.”
**Read the full letter from Texas House Democrats to Gov. Abbott here. **