MONTGOMERY, Ala. — As the federal government shutdown drags into its longest stretch in history, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Tuesday that she is releasing $2 million in emergency state funds to support eight food banks across Alabama, helping tens of thousands of families left vulnerable by the halt of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The state’s Department of Human Resources is also redirecting an additional $3 million to food assistance networks statewide, bringing Alabama’s total emergency funding for food-related aid during the crisis to approximately $9 million for the fiscal year. On top of this, caregivers of 11,434 children enrolled in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families will receive supplemental payments of $300 per child to offset hardships created by the federal funding freeze.
“These are real Alabama families who rely on SNAP to put food on their tables, including more than 300,000 children, over 102,000 seniors, and those with disabilities,” Ivey said in a statement. “While the state is stepping up to help, this is not sustainable.”
The shutdown, driven by Republican-led refusal to pass a budget, has shuttered critical federal programs including SNAP, which is fully federally funded. That has left millions in Alabama and across the nation struggling to afford food with benefit payments halted.
The emergency funds will be distributed to eight major food banks covering all 67 Alabama counties, including the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, Food Bank of East Alabama, Feeding the Gulf Coast, and others.
Governor Ivey rejected calls for a special legislative session to tap state Rainy Day funds, emphasizing the need for Congress to end the paralysis. SNAP benefits remain uncertain as the USDA works on cumbersome contingency funding plans that could delay payments further.
The ongoing federal impasse leaves families, seniors, and disabled individuals in food insecurity, underscoring a mounting humanitarian crisis unleashed by political gridlock in Washington.