Governor Ivey Releases Emergency Funds Amid Shutdown

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is making an emergency decision amid the United States government shutdown to help food needs within the state.

Governor Kay Ivey has released $2 million of the state’s emergency funds to go towards eight food banks, serving all of Alabama’s 67 counties. This is all according to a press release from the office of the Governor.

“There are real Alabama families who rely on SNAP to put food on their tables, and that includes more than 300,000 children, more than 102,000 seniors and those who are disabled. That is why I am directing $2 million in emergency funding to go towards food banks serving the people of our state,” said Governor Ivey in the press release.

This comes on the 4^th day of the month, which is the first day some of the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will miss an issuance of those benefits to their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. In Alabama, SNAP benefits are issued to recipients’ EBT cards on a specific day from the 4^th of the month to the 23^rd, so each day U.S. Senate Democrats refuse to reopen the federal government, more Alabama children, seniors and disabled who benefit from the SNAP program will be impacted.

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“We are now in the longest federal government shutdown in history, and it is absolutely ridiculous that families all across our country are suffering – whether that is the school children who rely on SNAP, the air traffic controller not receiving a paycheck or even our military and high number of federal government worker families in Alabama. Hear me loud and clear when I say Alabama cannot be both the state and federal government. And like states all across the country, Alabama is stepping up to help, but this is not sustainable by any means. U.S. Senate Democrats must vote to reopen the federal government now.”

The governor added, “There is only one true solution and that is for Congress to do their one job and reopen the federal government now.”