Gov. Bill Lee won’t dip into the state’s $2.1 billion Rainy Day Fund to back Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits relied on by 690,000 Tennesseans.
Typically, SNAP funding is guaranteed by the federal government and issued to recipients via an electronic debit system overseen by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. With a government shutdown in D.C. now entering its fourth week, some saw state intervention as a potential backstop to guarantee SNAP benefits when those lapse on Nov. 1. Republican Gov. Bill Lee says that is operationally impossible.
“The SNAP program is federally funded and operated, and Tennessee is unable to utilize state dollars to provide the benefit, as states do not have a mechanism to load benefits onto customer cards,” reads a statement from Lee’s office.
The governor is currently on a business trip in Asia. The statement, provided by Lee spokesperson Elizabeth Lane Johnson, blames Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown and its effects. Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, but a resolution to continue funding the government is stuck in the Senate, where the legislation needs 60 votes to pass.
A lapse in SNAP benefits could lead to a sudden uptick in acute hunger in Tennessee. The program serves low- and no-income households, often providing between $25 and $200 per person per month, and is considered a crucial stopgap preventing widespread food insecurity. In September, the program issued about $146 million to Tennesseans.
Individuals can use existing SNAP benefits into November, but won’t receive new benefits next month. Since new benefits come in gradually over the first 20 days of the month, this will leave 35,000 individuals per day without food aid from Nov. 1 to Nov. 20.
The Trump-backed federal budget package will slash TennCare, SNAP funding
“SNAP is a family’s grocery budget for the month, and without that income, many Tennesseans will face excruciating choices like, food or rent? Food or medication?” explains Jeanne Hunter, regional director for the Society of St. Andrew, a national organization dedicated to ending hunger. “Some families may have access to nearby food pantries, but many of those organizations have seen budget shortages because of federal spending cuts to nonprofits. Many of our partner organizations have said they’re seeing more need and fewer donations.”
The Trump administration targeted SNAP for major eligibility restrictions in the president’s "One Big Beautiful Bill," which passed Congress in July. The updates included major restrictions on immigrants in the United States legally, stricter work requirements and a higher cost burden for states. Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy at the Tennessee Justice Center, estimates that new work requirements will bump between 50,000 and 100,000 people off SNAP, particularly senior citizens and veterans.
“Congress, the Trump administration and USDA need to act now,” Anderson tells the Scene. “Tennessee has never faced this severity of need where all families will be impacted by lost benefits and don't have money to buy groceries. If you receive SNAP benefits, you need to know that this is coming so you can plan accordingly. And if you don't receive SNAP benefits, your neighbors will face hunger in November.”
The city has recently seen signs of a worsening hunger crisis. North Nashville specifically suffers as an urban food desert. A recent study from Metro Social Services examined the needs and causes of hunger in Nashville's 37208 ZIP code area, predicting that reduced SNAP cuts will further deepen the North Nashville neighborhood's food crisis.
