Oklahoma Lawmakers Plan Weekly $1M Food Bank Aid Amid SNAP Uncertainty

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, along with House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, announced plans to vote on allocating $1 million per week from the state's emergency fund to food banks across all 77 counties during the ongoing federal government shutdown, contingent on the absence of federal SNAP funding. The funds, totaling up to $7 million over seven weeks, aim to support vulnerable elderly, disabled, and child SNAP recipients while federal benefits are paused due to the shutdown. This move follows federal judges ordering the Trump administration to continue SNAP payments, though uncertainties remain about the speed and extent of federal funding resumption. State officials are calling on Oklahoma companies and nonprofits to match the funds or assist with delivering food to those unable to leave their homes. Food bank leaders emphasize the critical but insufficient nature of the state funding and stress the need for a long-term federal solution. Meanwhile, some Democrats urge the governor to convene a special session to allocate additional state funds, but Stitt insists on limiting use of the rainy day fund, focusing instead on community and federal action to address food insecurity.