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Georgia Democrats call on Kemp to fund SNAP
Georgia’s Democratic lawmakers are urging Gov. Brian Kemp to tap the state’s record surplus to help families on food assistance as federal SNAP funding is set to halt this week.
ATLANTA - The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Georgia will pause at the end of this week due to a lack of federal funding.
Georgia’s Democratic lawmakers are urging Gov. Brian Kemp to tap the state’s record surplus to help families on food assistance as federal funding is set to halt this week.
Georgia Democrats call on Kemp to fund SNAP
What we know:
SNAP payments in Georgia are scheduled to pause Nov. 1 because Congress has not passed a federal funding bill.
According to the Georgia Department of Human Services, roughly 1.6 million Georgians receive SNAP benefits, including children, seniors, and disabled adults. That represents about 1 in every 7 people in the state.
State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Esteves said Monday that Kemp should declare a state of emergency and temporarily use a portion of the state’s $14.6 billion surplus to keep food benefits flowing.
"In just a matter of days, nearly 1.4 million Georgians, including over 640,000 children, could lose access to the food they depend on through SNAP. This is not some policy debate. This is a humanitarian crisis unfolding in real time and on our watch," Parkes said.
A spokesperson for Kemp said the administration has been advised by the federal government that no mechanism currently exists for a state to load funds onto EBT cards.
Get more details on the upcoming SNAP suspension:
- What users must know now
- How you can help those impacted by upcoming pause
- Where you can get free food in metro Atlanta
- How to get free or discounted groceries
SNAP recipients face cutoffs
What they're saying:
SNAP recipient Rachel Kent said she has relied on the program the past six months while searching for work and pushed back on stereotypes.
"The biggest misconception is that people on food stamps are fat and lazy and don't try," Kent said. "They don't realize you have to, when you make an application, you have to show you're working or attempting to work like I do."
Kent said the political standoff is hurting families most.
"I think both sides are the problem," she said. "They're not listening. You know, they're thinking more about the money and less about the people."
Gov. Kemp's pandemic response
Dig deeper:
Gov. Kemp’s office has stepped in before to distribute emergency aid, but past assistance was funded with federal dollars rather than the state’s own surplus.
During the pandemic, Georgia used money from the American Rescue Plan Act to provide $350 one-time cash payments to Medicaid, SNAP and TANF recipients, and earlier deployed federal TANF Pandemic Emergency Assistance Funds for short-term relief.
In both cases, the state administered the aid, but the money originated from federal programs.
What is Georgia's budget surplus?
Georgia holds more than $14 billion in budget reserves, one of the largest surpluses in the nation.
State revenue collections have consistently outpaced conservative spending estimates, allowing billions to accumulate beyond the legal rainy-day fund cap.
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Georgia has a budget surplus: What that may mean to you
Georgia is sitting on a massive cash cushion, with more than $14.6 billion now in state reserves, according to a new report from the State Accounting Office released this week.
How much does SNAP cost in Georgia?
According to federal records, during fiscal year 2022, about 1.58 million people in more than 783,000 households received SNAP benefits in Georgia.
The average monthly benefits was about $159 per person.
That would put the total dollar amount spent on SNAP in Georgia at just over $224 million per month.
In theory, Georgia's budget surplus could supply 65 months, or 5-and-a-half years, of SNAP benefits at the 2022 rate.
However, if the benefits were adjusted for inflation, that would only fund the benefits for just under 5 years.
RELATED:
- Warning issued about SNAP benefits in Georgia as shutdown continues
- Georgia stroke survivor fears losing SNAP benefits amid government shutdown
- Atlanta nonprofit hosts Harvest of Hope event to help families facing SNAP cuts
- What to know about SNAP benefits as government shutdown continues
When will the shutdown end?
What's next:
The House of Representatives has been out of session since late September, holding only pro forma placeholder sessions with no legislative business being conducted.
The last funding bill was passed in the House on Sept. 19.
The Source: FOX 5's Deidra Dukes spoke with state Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Esteves as well as several SNAP recipients for this article. Additional details come from the Office of the Georgia Governor, the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Georgia Division of Children and Families, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.