MONTGOMERY, AL — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a coalition of state attorneys general calling on Congress to take immediate action to prevent disruption of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as federal budget negotiations continue.
The coalition, led by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, sent a letter to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging passage of a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government and ensure that SNAP and other essential services remain funded.
“Senate Democrats could end this shutdown with a single vote,” Marshall said. “Instead, Senator Schumer is putting politics ahead of the American people. A government shutdown or lapse in SNAP funding is not an abstract policy debate, it has real consequences for families in our communities. It’s past time for Senate Democrats to do the right thing and pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government. No family should go hungry because of political games in Washington.”
The letter warns that if the shutdown extends beyond Halloween, millions of Americans could lose access to SNAP, including approximately 1.4 million in Ohio. It emphasizes the program’s importance in supporting working parents, senior citizens, and individuals with disabilities.
The attorneys general highlighted that Congress has previously passed similar continuing resolutions 13 times, under both Republican and Democratic leadership, to maintain critical services and avoid interruptions.
SNAP currently supports more than 41 million Americans nationwide, including nearly 15.6 million in the 19 states represented by the signatories. In addition to Alabama and Ohio, the letter was signed by attorneys general from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
