Arkansas Democrats Release Statement on SNAP Benefits Elapsing

Arkansas Democrats are releasing the following statement following the Governor's announcement that she will provide $500,000 in state money to Arkansas foodbanks.

Arkansas Democratic Party Chair Col. Marcus Jones (Ret.) said:

"More than 239,000 Arkansans and 126,700 households receive SNAP benefits. They're essential for our kids, families, and our economy. Democratic legislators have been advocating publicly for Gov. Sanders to do more as SNAP benefits remain in peril, and today, she announced that she is giving state funds to Arkansas food banks. That's good, but it's not nearly enough.

Our state has the highest rate of food insecurity, and 1 in 4 Arkansas kids go to bed hungry. That's a sad condition set by Gov. Sarah Sanders and the Republicans in our legislature, and we have millions of dollars in our state reserves. Democrats believe that we should prioritize feeding families, rather than private school vouchers and $19,000 lecterns."

Democratic Legislators have been leading the charge in the effort to get Gov. Sanders to step up with our hunger crisis. The letters from House and Senate Democrats to Gov. Sanders attracted thousands of Facebook shares and reactions.

From Sen. Jamie Scott's letter :

"This is not a partisan issue-it is a moral one. Hunger doesn't distinguish between political parties, income brackets, or zip codes. Without swift action, we risk seeing families forced to skip meals, students unable to concentrate in school, and caregivers choosing between paying rent or buying groceries. We have the ability-and the responsibility-to prevent that."

From Rep. David Whitaker and Rep. Diana Gonzales Worthen's letter :

"You have access to emergency funds in times of crisis. We would request funding from the Governor's Emergency Fund or a request to the Legislative Council for a release of funds."

Our County Parties and Young Democrats chapters are collecting food as part of our new statewide initiative, 'Feed Arkansas Families.' We've launched a resource on our website to find food banks.