By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – SNAP benefits for 74,000 in New Hampshire will likely continue in November even if the federal government shutdown continues due to a state contingency plan that will have it partner with the NH Food Bank and its 417 affiliates to expand mobile food pantries specifically for their recipients.
The joint legislative fiscal committee voted unanimously Tuesday morning to approve the proposed solution offered by the state Health and Human Services Department with the NH Food Bank https://nhfoodbank.org/
The contract also requires Executive Council approval and they vote on Wednesday.
“For $2 Million we will be able to increase mobile food pantries just for SNAP participants,” said Lori Weaver, DHHS commissioner. “We have mobile food pantries currently and those would continue so this is in addition to that but this would be specifically for SNAP recipients so they will be required to show their card to prove they are SNAP recipients. We give the money to the Food Banks,” she said, and they would identify where the need is in the state “so we can target where those pantries should go and they would go during the day and also in the evening hours as well so it’s not an 8 to 4 kind of thing when families can get to access to food.”
She noted that each month the state normally receives $12.6 million for SNAP.
“We recognize it falls short of what we normally would get,” Weaver said, but it would help them with being able to have access to fresh food. She said the state will be looking at the quality of the food.
“We are hopeful this will carry us through the month of November,” the commissioner said and it is set up to continue longer if needed.
Karen Hebert, director of the DHHS office of economic stability, told the committee it will take about one week to mobilize and enhance existing mobile distribution throughout the state.
The hope is to identify neighborhoods and areas of greatest need and go to those places, and not duplicate efforts.
The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides a card benefit for those who are financially eligible and that represents about 13 percent of the national population.
Because of the federal shutdown, the federal benefits expire Nov. 1.
State Rep. Mary Jane Wallner, D-Concord asked about the logistics.
Hebert said there would be a mobile focus and working with existing pantries, adding and expanding the four mobile pantries to two more per week.
There are other federal programs to feed and provide heat for the most vulnerable, some of which are impacted by the federal shutdown and others are not, at least through the end of the year.
The federal Women Infants and Children or WIC program is also part of the conversation, Weaver told Walner. She said that is a minute-by-minute, ever changing thing.
Trish Tilley of DHHS said around WIC “we are going to need all partners to help us but will have WIC through the first week of November and maybe a little longer.”
The energy assistance is not impacted for now and has enough funds for the rest of the year, legislators were told.
The free breakfast and free lunch at schools are not impacted, Weaver said.
Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, asked if the state would be reimbursed.
Nathan White, CFO of DHHS, said it is unclear and would depend on the details of the federal budget that passes.
Carson asked about a statewide media effort to ask people to donate to the food bank or local pantries and whether that would be handled by the state agencies, contractors or the governor.
She asked for a list of pantries to give to senators and legislators so they can notify their constituents and get donations. She said the word needs to get out.
“This is really an all hands on deck project,” Carson said. “NH people are very giving, very supportive and we don’t want our citizens to suffer. We’ve got school kids with food drives…” she said and a mobilization effort needs to occur.
The money, White said, would come from Medicaid Enhancement Tax revenue. The contract will be cost-reimbursement only, officials said.
White said exact details of the contract are privileged information until presented to the Executive Council Wednesday. He said it would be a tight time frame for payment.
“They receive the invoice and we are ready to pay them,” he said.
Weaver thanked the legislators for the emergency meeting.
She said it was timely and of importance to the citizens of the state who get SNAP benefits and need to be in place by Nov. 1. She said of the 74,000 recipients in New Hampshire impacted by the SNAP funding shortage, 45,000 are adults and 24,000 are children.
Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, thanked Weaver and her staff “for protecting these folks” and the governor’s office for its efforts as well. He said it was his understanding there is $5 billion in USDA reserve funding.
Weaver said she was told last week the state cannot access those reserves. She said the state is working with every avenue including the congressional delegation.
After the vote, Carson’s office and that of House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry issued a statement:
“We will do everything we can to ensure continued support for New Hampshire families as the federal government shutdown threatens their access to nutrition programs.”
And then the release delved into the political aspects of the shut down.
“Senate Democrats have stubbornly refused to reopen the federal government, insisting on the continuation of COVID-era subsidies for insurance companies, using hard-working New Hampshire families as leverage.
“Today, we supported the use of surplus Medicaid Enhancement Tax revenues to boost mobile food back supplies through the New Hampshire Food Bank, ensuring SNAP recipients can keep food on the table. We want to thank the Ayotte Administration for working to find this creative solution. We urge Sens. Shaheen and Hassan to set aside their partisan maneuvers and vote to reopen the government.”
After the vote, Wallner said: “Today’s vote by the Fiscal Committee will temporarily fund mobile food banks for the 75,000 SNAP participants in New Hampshire who will lose benefits if the government shutdown persists. While I thank my colleagues for joining me in supporting this necessary action, I remain concerned that it’s only a band-aid that provides a fraction of needed funds, and creates new roadblocks to access for the people it intends to serve.”
House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson said:
“Governor Ayotte frequently reminds us that she has a direct line to the White House. It’s past time for her to get on the phone and use it. The GOP’s unwillingness to negotiate on ACA subsidies to end the shutdown in Washington is harming Granite Staters who rely on SNAP benefits to survive.”
“Until Republicans in Congress come to the table to negotiate an extension of ACA subsidies, the government shutdown will continue and people will continue to suffer. The Republican party controls every branch of government in Washington and New Hampshire. Granite Staters are begging for leadership, and to this point they’re not getting it.”