Food banks in Arizona are bracing for a surge in demand as SNAP benefits are set to run out Saturday for nearly 900,000 people in the state. Gov. Katie Hobbs visited a Phoenix food bank Thursday and criticized President Donald Trump for the funding freeze.
After helping load food boxes into a few cars alongside volunteers at St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix, Hobbs told reporters she is looking at all options to mitigate the situation.
Hobbs on Wednesday announced Arizona would use $1.8 million in federal pandemic relief funds to help food banks meet increasing demand. But she said that will not make up for the $155 million that SNAP brings into the state each month.
“We allocated $1.8 million to provide emergency assistance — I know it’s not enough,” Hobbs said. “We’re asking Arizonans to show up for their community like they always do — I know that’s not enough. The president could end this right now.”
The Trump administration is blaming Democrats for the disruption to SNAP benefits as the federal government shutdown drags on.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats,” a message posted on the U.S. Department of Agriculture website says.
But Hobbs said Trump could release more than $5 billion from a USDA contingency fund to keep the food stamps program running during the shutdown.
“There’s never been a government shutdown where the president has said, ‘no we’re not going to feed hungry people who rely on this funding to not go hungry,'” Hobbs said. “This is his choice.”
The USDA argues its contingency fund cannot legally be tapped in this situation.
Arizona is among more than 20 states suing the Trump administration over the SNAP freeze. Hobbs said she is hopeful that the lawsuit will resolve the issue.
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Millions rely on this help to pay their bills during extreme cold and heat surges -
After a recent report found that Arizona’s SNAP participation numbers have dropped by roughly 47%, the question is: Why? -
The plan would consolidate research leadership — currently dispersed across the country — in Fort Collins, Colo., while closing laboratories in Montana, Utah and Nevada. -
The study says the Arizona Department of Economic Security shows a 47% decrease — a reduction of more than 400,000, including 180,000 children. Arizona had fewer than 490,000 SNAP recipients as of February. -
Since becoming President Donald Trump’s health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spent a lot of time in Arizona. His latest stop in the Valley came on Wednesday while visiting the Gila River Indian Community.
