Food assistance benefits will not be issued on November 1, according to the federal government, and while many governors, including Republicans, have mobilized and set aside money to help, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has said the state can’t help and is on a state business trip in Asia.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a bleak statement on the situation Monday. That statement appeared in a big, orange box on front page of the USDA website that mentioned “healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures.”
”Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),” reads the statement. “Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 1.
“We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
Nearly 690,000 Tennesseans rely on SNAP benefits each month. Shelby County would be hardest hit if SNAP benefits do not arrive.
In September, 152,265 people here relied on SNAP benefits for food. These benefits typically total around $33 million each month in Shelby County. The missing funds could also mean a monthly $33 million hole in the local economy as those without food assistance will be less able to shop at area grocery stores.
Though Tennessee has more than $2 billion in “rainy day funds,” Lee said he could not help.
“The SNAP program is federally funded and operated, and Tennessee is unable to utilize state dollars to provide the benefit, as states do not have a mechanism to load benefits onto customer cards,” Lee’s office said in a statement.
The USDA has said it will not pay back states that used their own money to float food assistance during the shutdown.
Lee and members of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development were in South Korea Monday, according to posts on Facebook. That post shows Lee and his team meeting with SK On, the battery company partnering with Ford Motor Co. at the Blue Oval City factory site in West Tennessee. Lee’s team also met in South Korea with LG Energy Solutions, LG Electronics, LG Chem, and Hankook Tire — all companies with Tennessee operations.
The trip also found Lee’s team in Taiwan last week with a visit to XXentria and Quanta, both with Tennessee ties.
While Lee’s team did not post about a visit to Tokyo, University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd posted photos on Monday of Lee and others at the Good Ole Tennessee bar in Chuo City, Tokyo.
Lee’s weekly schedule of public events is empty for this week.
Tennessee House Democrats urged Lee to call a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to fix the looming SNAP situation. No such session has yet to be publicly called.
Governors in other states, though, have responded to the SNAP cuts. Here’s a few statements form their offices:
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Monday:
“With nearly three million New Yorkers at risk of losing the food assistance they receive from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) starting November 1 due to the GOP’s federal government shutdown, the governor also announced that she is fast-tracking $30 million in state funds to support over 16 million meals.
“This additional funding follows Governor Hochul’s announcement last week of more than $11 million to support local emergency food relief.”
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) last week:
“Governor Jeff Landry signed an emergency declaration for Louisiana to help fund SNAP benefits for the elderly, disabled, and children in our state who have been abandoned by Congressional Democrats.
“We should not allow our elderly, disabled, or children to go hungry because of the Washington, D.C. Democrats’ failure to reopen the federal government. Our social security net is supposed to help the most vulnerable, and we will try to accomplish this with today’s action.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D):
“At the direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom, California volunteers and the California National Guard have been deployed under the leadership of the Department of Social Services to assist with preparing meals for distribution to families in need, with their first food distribution service today at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
“Gov. Newsom announced this statewide effort earlier this week and fast-tracked $80 million to food banks throughout the state to help address cuts to food benefits as a result of President Trump’s failure to reopen the federal government.
“Today, GO-Serve Director and Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday, eight College Corps members, and 32 California National Guard members assisted staff at the LA Regional Food Bank, who requested additional support from the state.”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) last week:
“Gov. Glenn Youngkin today declared a state of emergency to provide emergency hunger relief for Virginians in response to the Democrat Shutdown causing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to run out starting November 1, 2025.
“The Democrat shutdown will cause SNAP benefits to run out for over 850,000 Virginians in need starting November 1, 2025.
“I refuse to let hungry Virginians be used as ‘leverage’ by Congressional Democrats. I am declaring a State of Emergency due to the Democrat shutdown to protect hungry Virginians in need.”
