NASHVILLE - Leaders of the Tennessee House and Senate Democratic Caucuses continue their push for state action to fully fund SNAP for over 690,000 Tennesseans. Last Monday, the House Democratic Caucus requested that Governor Bill Lee call a special session of the General Assembly to provide the essential benefits for needy state recipients—which are comprised mostly of children, the elderly and the disabled. Following Friday's court rulings and the federal government's subsequent announcement that it'll pay about half of SNAP benefits nationwide, there is seemingly little standing in the way of Governor Bill Lee taking appropriate steps to assist one in ten Tennesseans who rely on SNAP to help feed their families.

The Trump Administration announced today that it will tap existing reserve funds to provide partial funding for the SNAP program after two federal judges ordered it to do so. However, that emergency fund allegedly only contains enough money to cover about half of the payments for the approximately 42 million Americans who rely on it.

Continuing their caucus' respective calls for state action, House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons and Senate Democratic Leader Raumesh Akbari say Lee has officially run out of excuses for his inaction.

"The price to feed Tennessee families in need just dropped considerably while the human toll of Gov. Bill Lee's obstinate refusal to act continues to rise," said Chairman John Ray Clemmons. "The state currently has the financial means to fill in the remaining funding gap for SNAP benefits in the month of November. It is unconscionable for our state government to willingly allow Tennessee families to sit down to an empty dinner table on Thanksgiving. When you compare the $50 million required of our state to fully fund SNAP for Tennessee families through the month of November with the nearly $1.6 billion that our state gifted to corporations this past year, it gives you a pretty good indication who and what Republicans' priorities really are."

Leader Raumesh Akbari: "The courts have made it clear — there is no excuse for delays in distributing federal food assistance to Tennessee families. I am urging Gov. Bill Lee’s administration to act as fast as possible to ensure Tennessee families get the support they rely on. Hunger doesn’t take a holiday. Families are already feeling the strain of this chaos, and as we move into the holiday months, my hope is that Gov. Lee will do everything in his power to fill the gap. That means not only distributing the federal funds without delay, but also identifying state resources to ensure families receive every dollar in benefits they were counting on. Last week, I urged Gov. Lee to declare a state of emergency to address hunger in our state. Today, that call is even more urgent. Tennessee can and should step up for its people."