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An unexpected bipartisan consensus that Gov. Ned Lamont’s initial response to the suspension of the SNAP federal food program is inadequate is nudging the governor toward tapping Connecticut’s massive rainy day fund for greater relief. While Lamont has authorized a $3 million emergency grant to stock food pantries, other governors are offering greater relief programs, including $37.5 million a week in Virginia for SNAP recipients. And with the General Assembly headed into special session in two weeks, a bipartisan legislature could impose terms. Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly “are willing to work together to try to provide critical supports for Connecticut residents in the coming weeks,” House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said Thursday. “And we hope the governor will join us in that effort.” CT food pantries, facing 360,000 needing food, seek help. ‘It literally is your neighbor’ “I think that it is dangerous for the state of Connecticut to take a wait-and-see approach, and we need to assume that this shutdown is going to go on for a long period of time,” House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, said, referring to the ongoing partial federal government shutdown that could stop federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP] grants to needy households nationwide starting Saturday. Among those losing out are an estimated 360,000 Connecticut residents who collectively receive about $72 million in monthly SNAP benefits, according to the state Department of Social Services. Attorney General William Tong joined three Democratic governors and 21 attorneys general from other states this week, suing in federal court in Boston to force President Trump’s administration to use contingency funds to maintain the SNAP program during the shutdown. A federal judge indicated Thursday that she would rule soon, the New York Times reported. But even a ruling that favors the plaintiffs might not get benefits flowing by Nov. 1. Lawmakers: Lamont’s response to crisis pales against other states’ Lamont has limited his response to dedicating $3 million to Connecticut Foodshare, a nonprofit that distributes surplus groceries from the food industry to pantries, meal programs and other related services across the state. The governor, a fiscal moderate, has traditionally objected to using state funds to supplement programs normally funded by the federal government, a stance that sometimes leaves him at odds with his fellow Democrats. “Gov. Lamont has committed $3 million — that will not be reimbursed by the federal government — to provide food to our most vulnerable residents,” spokesman Rob Blanchard said. “This is a dynamic situation, and federal agencies have changed their guidance or provided unclear information throughout the shutdown. The administration remains hopeful that Congress and President Trump will recognize the need to act swiftly to fully fund the federal government.” But leaders of key committees in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly this week, while praising the efforts of Connecticut Foodshare, pantries and similar programs statewide, said Lamont must do more than hope for the best, calling his $3 million emergency grant woefully inadequate. Most SNAP households here already rely heavily on free or discounted food from pantries to supplement what they can purchase with an average monthly benefit of $324, said Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, co-chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee. And many communities in poor, rural eastern Connecticut have few pantries, with very limited supplies. Connecticut’s SNAP income limits equal 200% of the Federal Poverty Level for gross monthly income — $5,200 for a family of four — or 100% of the poverty level for net monthly income. “They cannot solve the problem this big by themselves,” Osten added. “We should be meeting daily on this issue. … We cannot avoid feeding people.” Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, co-chair of the Human Services Committee, said one Hartford food pantry operator notified him this week that “her shelves were already bare. I don’t think that’s an isolated incident.” Lesser’s fellow co-chair, Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, noted a growing number of states — most of which lack the wealth of Connecticut — already are tapping their coffers to help vulnerable citizens. “I’m frustrated that we are in the final week of October and the Lamont administration hasn’t already laid out all of those options to the legislature,” Gilchrest said. “We’ve seen the writing on the wall.” Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer directed his budget office to transfer state funds as needed to fully fund SNAP benefits through November, while Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced state resources would keep benefits flowing at least through Nov. 15, VTDigger reported. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham committed $30 million in state funds, which would replace 30% of federal SNAP benefits lost during the first 10 days of November. In Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry’s executive order opens the door for the state legislature to tap an emergency state fund to mitigate lost federal SNAP benefits. Rhode Island and Hawaii will use the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which uses a combination of federal and state dollars to offset some of the SNAP funds for households with kids. How quickly could CT offer state-funded SNAP benefits? But Connecticut legislators particularly noted steps taken in Virginia, where Gov. Glenn Youngkin also announced state funds would keep SNAP benefits at full levels, at least through November, if the shutdown persists that long. Lamont administration officials had said it would take about six months to get a state-funded SNAP benefit system up and running. But according to the website for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the SNAP program, Connecticut and Virginia both use the same SNAP debit card contractor: New Jersey-based Conduent Inc. Why was Virginia able to solve this problem quickly, working with Conduent, but the Lamont administration says any fix will take months, Candelora asked. “We cannot keep attempting to misdirect the conversation,” he added. Blanchard said recent conversations with Conduent now have state officials convinced a state-funded benefit program could be established sooner than six months, though it’s not clear yet just how long it would take. Blanchard added that the administration hasn’t limited its response to just assisting food pantries and continues to explore other initiatives. “We’ve had constructive and encouraging conversations with legislative leaders and are exploring ways we can support SNAP beyond the $3 million, and we look forward to reaching an agreement,” he said. Still, there are some risks if Connecticut moves too quickly. Congress voted this summer to require states, starting in 2028, to cover a portion of SNAP benefit costs regularly if they too often issue incorrect amounts or serve ineligible households, based on 2025 and 2026 program operations. In other words, if Connecticut throws together an emergency state-funded SNAP program hastily, could it worsen state error rates that already exceed federal thresholds? One month of food benefits would cost a fraction of CT’s billions Regardless of that risk, though, advocates for a more aggressive response say Connecticut arguably has more resources to respond than any other state. The emergency budget reserve, commonly known as the rainy day fund, holds $4.3 billion or 18% of the General Fund, one of the larger state reserves in the nation. Connecticut closed the 2024-25 fiscal year last June 30 with a $2.5 billion surplus, the second-largest in state history. And while most of that windfall is earmarked to whittle down Connecticut’s $35 billion pension debt, legislative leaders have talked about using $400 million to $500 million to mitigate painful federal budget cuts not only to nutrition assistance but also to winter heating aid, health and other programs. On top of all that, Lamont’s budget office projects another huge surplus, almost $1.8 billion, for this fiscal year. Spending $72 million of state funds in November to fully fund SNAP benefits would reflect just 4% of that projected surplus, or 1% of the projected surplus and rainy day fund combined. “This 11th-hour scramble only intensifies the need for the legislature to form a federal response fund from the billions in state surplus and create fiscal policies that allow for the flexibility to defend Connecticut,” said Norma Martinez HoSang, director of CT For All. “Our elected officials need to start being proactive against federal attacks.” Though a Democrat, the governor often can use the legislature’s Republican minority, which shares many of his fiscal views, as a shield against his fellow Democrats. But GOP lawmakers have joined Democrats in saying Connecticut is sitting on too much money to let people go hungry. “The governor or the legislature has the capability to use the rainy day fund when there is a serious situation, such as what is at hand for SNAP benefits,” Sen. Jeff Gordon, a Republican from the state’s northeastern corner in Woodstock, wrote in a statement this week. Social service advocates also have been stepping up the pressure. Three affiliated legal services nonprofits, which help low-income clients access human services, housing, education, employment and other programs, spearheaded a push even before the federal shutdown began Oct. 1 for a multi-tiered state response. “Connecticut’s food insecure households are facing a perfect storm of crises as we head into November, a month associated with food and giving thanks,” said Sara Parker McKernan, a legislative and policy advocate for New Haven Legal Assistance Association. The New Haven group, along with Greater Hartford Legal Aid and Connecticut Legal Services, urged Lamont and legislative leaders in September to develop a state-funded benefit system. This would protect the entire SNAP population in the event of a government shutdown. But it also could be used, legal services groups wrote, to assist about 40,000 Connecticut SNAP recipients would lose their benefits long-term starting next week. Congress in July removed SNAP benefits for certain groups of immigrants, young adults, veterans and people experiencing homelessness who no longer meet new stricter work requirements. “We need our state leadership to cover the loss of nutrition assistance at least through the remainder of the year,” or until Congress resolves the budget issues that caused the partial shutdown, added Emily Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children, a New Haven-based policy group. “We cannot allow Washington, D.C., to dictate inaction here at home.” CT Mirror staff writer Mark Pazniokas contributed to this story. Keith M. Phaneuf is a reporter for the Connecticut Mirror. Copyright 2025 @ CT Mirror (ctmirror.org).
