Red state governor blames Dems for SNAP lapse as he refuses to fund it

Sam Stockard, Tennessee Lookout
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Gov. Bill Lee refuses to spend state money to help provide food to Tennessee recipients of SNAP funds. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Gov. Bill Lee cautioned SNAP recipients Friday to prepare for a lapse in their benefits starting Nov. 1 and blamed congressional Democrats for failing to end the government shutdown.

“The longer Democrats wait to reopen the government, the more delays customers can expect as the program restarts,” a Friday statement from the Governor’s Office said.

Some 690,000 Tennesseans who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could lose the benefit in November if the U.S. Senate fails to pass a resolution to continue spending federal funds. The federal government spends about $146 million a month putting money onto SNAP cards.

The Governor’s Office release said the program is federally funded and operated and Tennessee won’t be able to use state money to provide the benefit because it doesn’t have a mechanism to load benefits onto recipients’ cards.

“Congress has a responsibility to fund the federal government, and while Democrats continue to hold federal dollars hostage, my administration is working with members of the faith community and nonprofit partners to ensure Tennessee families do not go hungry,” Lee said in the statement. “I share the frustration of hardworking Tennesseans who will be impacted by this temporary lapse, and sincerely hope Democrats will choose to put the American people ahead of politics and reopen the government now.”

The Governor’s Office sent the statement a day after Tennessee House Democrats urged him to call a special session to provide funding to fill in the gap and ensure people receive SNAP benefits and other federal services.

“While Washington, D.C. is broken and you may blame whoever you wish for the shutdown, we, as state leaders, have a duty to rise above the partisan politics and serve those we represent,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons wrote to the governor.

U.S. Senate Democrats have refused to vote for the funding resolution, using their holdout as leverage against President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill and cuts to Medicaid and the end of some Affordable Care Act subsidies. The measure needs 60 votes to pass, and Republicans hold 53 seats, meaning they need seven votes out of 45 Democrats and two independents.

While Washington, D.C. is broken and you may blame whoever you wish for the shutdown, we, as state leaders, have a duty to rise above the partisan politics and serve those we represent.

– Rep. John Ray Clemmons, House Democratic Caucus

Tennessee Department of Human Services Commissioner Clarence Carter backed up Lee’s assertion that no benefits will be added to recipients’ cards starting in November unless the federal government reopens. He promised that the state would be “ready to act quickly” when federal operations resume.

Sen. Heidi Campbell, a Nashville Democrat, called on the governor to “spare us the political spin” and offer solutions to keep people from being hurt by the shutdown.

“Gov. Lee’s finger-pointing doesn’t change the facts — the Republican Speaker of the U.S. House hasn’t opened the chamber for legislative work since Sept. 19. That means for more than a month, House Republicans have been on vacation while Donald Trump’s shutdown hurts families, freezes paychecks, and stalls vital services for Tennesseans,” Campbell said.

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