The move would allow emergency funds to be used to help Virginia, which is short on federal funding.
Published October 23, 2025
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency to maintain food assistance for the state’s residents as federal benefits threaten to be cut off due to the three-week U.S. government shutdown.
Youngkin said Thursday that the measure would allow emergency funds to be used to help Virginia if federal spending is not available for food benefits administered by each state.
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He said more than 850,000 Virginians will feel the impact when Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits end on Nov. 1.
The state of emergency declaration by Virginia, the first state to do so, comes after other states this week warned food aid recipients that their benefits may not be distributed next month if closures continue.
More than 41 million Americans receive monthly SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, and nearly 7 million more receive assistance from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday he would deploy the National Guard and provide $80 million in emergency aid to help food banks as the federal government shutdown drags on.
The government shutdown is now in its 23rd day, the second longest in history, and there is no end in sight. Both Republicans and Democrats have blamed the other side for the government shutdown. A key issue is the policy requirements related to health care.
Democrats have refused to consider a budget bill that does not include an extension of coronavirus-era health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, warning that prices for consumers will soar if the subsidies expire by the end of the year as planned.
They also called for reversing Republican-led cuts to Medicaid, the government’s health insurance program for low-income people, introduced when President Donald Trump signed a massive tax cuts and spending bill in July.
Democrats are pushing for an extension of the aid before agreeing to a vote to end the shutdown, while Republicans say they can address the problem once the government reopens.
