Rep. Lawson-Rowe Comments on Minor SNAP Relief from Ohio Republicans
COLUMBUS – State Rep. Meredith R. Lawson-Rowe (D-Reynoldsburg) today released the following statement after Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order directing the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) giving $7M though the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to various Ohio food banks and up to $18M in funds to Ohioans who are at or below 50% of the federal poverty level who already qualify for Ohio Works First (OWF) cash assistance. While 63,000 of the 1.4 million Ohioans on SNAP may be provided some relief due to this effort, excluding 529,000 children who are currently on SNAP, the $18M in emergency funds does not go far enough to support those living just at the federal poverty level. For example, a family of four making roughly $17,000/year or more will not be eligible for this benefit. While a small step in the right direction, this insufficient allocation of funds is hardly enough to address the urgency of this crisis in the state.
“Though I am glad to see relief provided to some families via the Governor’s executive order, I do not believe it goes far enough in providing relief to all affected by the government shutdown,” said Rep. Lawson-Rowe. “In a letter I and the rest of my colleagues signed and sent to the Governor last week regarding this issue, we stated that our state has the means to immediately and fully address the SNAP cutoff issue for all affected Ohioans. It is a question of will power, not ability, regarding whether the state ensures our most vulnerable have food on their tables this month and perhaps even next month, should this breakdown in Washington, D.C. persist.”
Due to the federal shutdown and failure to allocate funds for SNAP, starting November 1st, hundreds of millions of dollars have not been allocated to the SNAP benefit cards that 1.4 million Ohioans depend upon.
House Democrats raised the urgent issue of the SNAP funding crisis on the House floor last week via an amendment that would provide full relief for Ohioans under SNAP. House Republicans voted down the proposed amendment, stating that SNAP benefit funding is not an Ohio issue. Overall, the federal shutdown will cost Ohioans a benefit loss of roughly $200M per month, nearly eight times the amount of funding provided by the Governor’s executive order.
House Democrats sent a letter to the Governor last week urging him to find a state-supported solution to all those affected by the cutoff of SNAP benefits. That letter, signed by all 34 members of the House Democratic Caucus, can be viewed here.