“The brief message we received from the state is that SNAP recipients may not receive their November benefits as normally scheduled if the federal shutdown continues,” said Butler County Human and Social Services executive director Julie Gilbert. “Our office remains open and we will continue to process new applications and recertifications as usual, to ensure accurate issuance when the federal funding resumes.”
The county Job and Family Services Department — which is the local arm of the state in administering the federal programs — doesn’t directly pay public assistance for SNAP benefits. That money comes directly from the federal government. Gilbert told the Journal-News 36,797 residents have received $66.4 million in SNAP benefits this year. Last year, 36,976 people received $91.7 million.
The federal program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries, the Associated Press reported.
November SNAP benefits will be impacted if the shutdown continues, but recipients will be able to access any remaining balances in their account after Friday, according to ODJFS spokesman Tom Betti.
He said the food-buying benefits are distributed to approximately 1.4 million Ohioans and recipients receive an average $190 monthly which totals roughly $263.4 million.
Although SNAP is a federally funded program, State Rep. Latyna Humphrey, D-Columbus, introduced House Bill 502 on Oct. 7 that would temporarily redirect a portion — roughly $350 million per month — of the state’s rainy day fund to cover payments for SNAP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and WIC the nutrition program for needy women and their children.
“Ohio does not have to wait for Washington,” Humphrey said during a press conference Thursday. “With our bill, House Bill 502 we can make sure families continue receiving SNAP, TANF and WIC because hunger should not depend on our politics.”
The bill has been referred to the House Agriculture Committee, which has had two meetings since the bill was introduced. The bill was not on either agenda and isn’t on the list this week. There is virtually no way this measure can take effect before the funds dry up, even if it were fast tracked as Humphrey said she is trying to do, it still has to go through the hearing process in both chambers.
The difficulty of passing the bill aside, Dan Tierney, deputy director of Media Relations for Gov. Mike DeWine, told the Journal-News implementing it wouldn’t likely be possible.
“We’re going to continue to monitor the situation but the guidance that we have from the federal government is they will not be giving the states any access to the SNAP system to upload payments,” he said. “Because that’s their system and they’re the ones who generally upload the payments.”
He added TANF and WIC are not currently at risk of a funding loss.
Butler County Commissioner Don Dixon said the county can’t help pay for those programs either, but they can and will offer assistance with other fallout from the shutdown like housing assistance.
He said some people have criticized the commissioners for their healthy budget reserves — the 2026 tax budget shows they’ll start the year with $164.2 million in unincumbered cash in the bank — “this is a perfect example of why we carry that amount, it’s to allow us to carry on and do business.”
“Rest assured we have the reserves to get through and keep everybody funded at the level they are or we feel they need to be for many months,” he said at a recent meeting. “When you watch the news you say oh my gosh the sky is falling, they’re going to cut this, or they’re not going to fund that, they’re going to cut off all the money. Well, we’ll be the last one standing.”
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