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As the shutdown drags on, more than two dozen Democratic state leaders are suing the Trump administration over the likely suspension of food assistance benefits. Kentucky Public Radio's Sylvia Goodman reports.
SYLVIA GOODMAN, BYLINE: In Kentucky, food assistance cards will not be refilled starting November 1. The coalition of Democratic leaders accuses the U.S. Department of Agriculture of illegally withholding the contingency funds that could continue to cover food assistance benefits. The USDA has said in a memo that they think it would be unlawful if they did use those funds during the shutdown without money directly appropriated by Congress. Kentucky governor Andy Beshear is one of the 26 leaders suing the USDA. With about 1 in 8 Kentuckians relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - or SNAP - Beshear says it will be a difficult and scary time for many families.
ANDY BESHEAR: There are emergency funds sitting around that the president could use to fund the SNAP program. All he has to do is be willing to do it.
GOODMAN: The USDA says, quote, "the well has run dry." The administration and Republicans place the blame on Senate Democrats for the prolonged government shutdown. The lapse in SNAP funding will likely put a heavy strain on food banks and place families in a difficult position ahead of the holiday season. Louisvillian Rico Garcia (ph) says losing his SNAP benefits would put him in a tough spot, especially if funding is withheld for more than a couple weeks. He says he just has to hope the federal government figures things out before then.
RICO GARCIA: 'Cause if not, then I'm going to be paying out of pocket for food stamps, and I don't really make too much money to be doing it every week or every month.
GOODMAN: Some counties in Kentucky have a much higher percentage of people relying on SNAP, especially in the state's most rural areas. In McCreary County, roughly 2 in 5 households receive SNAP benefits. Barbara Duncan with Integrated Community Ministries says the food bank is already stretched thin as price pressures have driven more people in her community to seek help.
BARBARA DUNCAN: We're going to have to be trying to provide a lot more food over the next at least month or until they can get something squared away with the government shutdown. But there are a lot of people here who are already so close to the edge that it's a big problem.
GOODMAN: Duncan says that normally they supplement SNAP, providing food when benefits run out.
DUNCAN: And now we're going to have to try to provide four weeks' worth of food.
GOODMAN: And Duncan says maybe they'll be able to manage to keep up with demand for a little while but not for long.
For NPR News, I'm Sylvia Goodman in Louisville, Kentucky.
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