Governor responds to USDA suspension of SNAP benefits

SANTA FE – Today, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s suspension of SNAP benefits for 42 million individuals nationwide effective Nov. 1:

The federal government’s refusal to pay for SNAP benefits in November is unconscionable — and the absurdity doesn’t end there. For New Mexico that’s 460,000 people in our state — 21 percent of our population, the highest participation rate in the nation. The federal government has abandoned its responsibility to feed families.

My administration is immediately evaluating every available legal and administrative option under this guidance, working closely with our Health Care Authority, food banks, and community partners to protect vulnerable families — including children, seniors, and people with disabilities — and we are expediting the $8 million we allocated for food banks, though that’s only a fraction of the $80 to $90 million in monthly SNAP benefits New Mexicans rely on.

The best way to solve this crisis is for Congress to end this shutdown and do its job. Until then, New Mexico will do everything in our power to keep our families fed, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available.