Virginia Declares State of Emergency as US Shutdown Threatens Food Aid

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency to keep food aid flowing as the three-week-long US government shutdown threatens to cut off benefits for hundreds of thousands of residents.

Youngkin said Thursday that the move allows him to tap state emergency funds to maintain food assistance programs if federal appropriations remain frozen.

“This will help ensure Virginians don’t go hungry while Washington remains deadlocked,” he said.

More than 850,000 Virginians rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

, which could run out of funds by November 1 if the shutdown continues.

Virginia is the first state to issue an emergency declaration, as other states warn they may soon be unable to distribute food benefits. Nationwide, 41 million Americans depend on SNAP, while another 7 million receive aid through WIC, the nutrition program for women, infants, and children.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that he would deploy the National Guard and fast-track $80 million to support food banks as the crisis deepens.

The shutdown, now in its 23rd day, is the second-longest in US history, with no sign of a deal in Congress.

The impasse stems from a fierce fight over healthcare funding.

Democrats insist that any budget deal must include an extension of COVID-era health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year. They also want to reverse Republican-led Medicaid cuts included in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending package passed in July.

Republicans argue that those issues should be settled after the government reopens, not as part of the shutdown negotiations.