BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Gov. Jeff Landry announced Wednesday that Louisiana will temporarily fund food benefits for elderly residents, disabled individuals, and children using state money, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed federal SNAP benefits will not be distributed starting Nov. 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Speaking from the State Capitol, Landry said Louisiana's strong fiscal position allows it to act "with compassion and reason" as Congress remains deadlocked.
"When you're not fiscally responsible, you can't act when it rains," Landry said. "And for those who depend on the food stamp program -- our elderly, our disabled, and our children -- it's about to start raining because of decisions being made in Washington, D.C."
The governor said roughly 800,000 Louisiana residents, or nearly one in five, rely on SNAP benefits, which are threatened by the lapse in federal funding.
Under Landry's emergency declaration, the state will cover benefits for households that include elderly, disabled, or child members during the pause in federal payments. He said recipients do not need to take any action to qualify.
"If you get your benefits card loaded on the first, second, third, or fourth [of the month], don't panic," Landry said. "You will have money on your EBT card."
Landry signed the emergency declaration on Oct. 23, a day after warning of the potential funding gap. The move allows Louisiana to divert state funds toward food assistance until federal operations resume.
He credited state lawmakers and his cabinet with building financial reserves through reduced spending and tax reforms.
"We've reduced total state fund spending by a billion dollars in the last 20 months," he said. "Those savings give us flexibility in times of crisis."
Landry also pointed to what he called a record job market, citing over 100,000 job openings statewide, and encouraged able-bodied adults on SNAP to seek employment through LouisianaWorks.net or local workforce offices.
"What we're doing today is not sustainable," Landry said. "We're going to protect the most vulnerable, but we also encourage able-bodied people to take advantage of great paying jobs."
Landry said another phase of the program will involve food banks, which will be revealed later this week.
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