State Seals from Those Calling on President Trump to Release Contingent Funds for SNAP Receipients.

Governor Janet T. Mills (D-ME) today joined governors from 20 states calling on President Trump to immediately release contingency funding at the US Department of Agriculture to cover benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which are poised to end Saturday, November 1st for 170,000 Maine people due to the Federal shutdown.

In a letter to the President, the governors detailed the impact of ending these benefits  on people across the nation and urged him to direct the Department to release these funds, which have been appropriated by Congress.  On October 10, the US Department of Agriculture informed states that SNAP benefits will not be distribued in November due to the Federal shutdown.  On October 24, the USDA issued a memo claiming it could not LEGALLY use SNAP coningency funds to cover regular benefits.

“SNAP is more than a food assistance program, it is a lifeline.  It helps families put nutritious food on the table, support local farmers and grocers and strengthens our communities and economy,” the governors’ letter states.  “The USDA’s decision to delay SNAP assistance is unacceptable and we urge your Administratdion to provide the necessary funding to deliver full benefits to vulnerable Americans in need, especially with Thanksgiving just a few weeks away.”;

Nearly 12.5 percent of Maine’s population relies on SNAP, with several counties – Androscoggin,  Aroostook, Washington, Piscataquis and Somerset — approaching or surpassing 20 percent of the populations.  Nearly 75 percent of Maine’s SNAP households include at least one working adult, more than half include a person with a disability, 43 percent include an older adult, and over one-third include children.

SNAP also supports approximaely 388,000 jobs nationwide and more than $20 billion in direct wages and it results in over $4.5 billion in state and federal tax revenue.

Please visit post herein for information on Maine’s Attorney General Aaron M. Frey’s lawsuit dated October 28, 2025.