Governor Mills Statement on SNAP Benefit Distribution

Governor Mills issued the following statement regarding the Trump Administration's latest attempt to block the distribution of full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits:

"In Maine, SNAP feeds 170,000 people, most of them children, seniors or people with disabilities, people who absolutely need these benefits to put food on the table. The Trump administration pledged full benefits, and Maine took swift action to deliver them accordingly. That the President would then petition the highest court to deny food to hungry families and seniors is beyond belief and is callous and cruel. The President should not be directing states to take food out of the mouths of the hungry. He should be directing Republicans in Congress to end this needless shutdown by extending health care tax credits and reopening the government. Instead, his actions are hurting our most vulnerable people, while the President hosts lavish parties in Florida and builds a $350 million ball room at the White House."

On Friday, following the Federal court ruling and based on updated guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Governor directed the Maine Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) to send full November SNAP benefits to all eligible Maine households. Maine was one of several states to take this action, based on guidance (PDF) provided by the Trump Administration.

DHHS promptly directed the state's SNAP distribution vendor to issue full benefits on Monday, November 10. Hours later, on Friday evening, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary order pausing the lower court's order requiring the distribution of full SNAP benefits pending further court action.

Maine determines SNAP eligibility and benefit amounts, while the Federal government distributes the funding directly through the vendor. The Mills Administration fully expects benefits will begin to be issued tomorrow to Maine beneficiaries as directed by the Governor and consistent with guidance provided on Friday by the Trump Administration.

The Mills Administration is aware of the latest SNAP guidance from USDA over the weekend -- the sixth such conflicting change to its guidance over the past month, and continues to monitor developments in the federal litigation.