Copyright Live 5 News WCSC
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - Rep. Wendell Gilliard called for an emergency meeting Thursday to address the looming food crisis in the Lowcountry as the government shutdown enters its 36th day. The meeting comes after the White House was court-mandated to tap into emergency funding to disperse Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits while the government remains closed. The White House press secretary said these funds will take time to distribute, prompting Gilliard’s call for local action. “What we would normally do is try to have one or two meetings in our respective districts, and the strategy with these meetings is trying to get local cooperation,” Gilliard said. Gilliard, working alongside the Charleston County legislature, sent a letter to Gov. Henry McMaster requesting he “call the General Assembly into an emergency session” to approve temporary funding of the SNAP program. The process is required for the state to allocate funding. “The governor can call us back, but he has to dub it an emergency; that’s what we were really looking for as lawmakers,” Gilliard said. Gilliard said he wants local food distribution centers to offer more than temporary solutions. “When we feed people, just don’t feed them. Talk about jobs. You have to give people work too. And the way we do that is by calling business to the table and see if they can contribute for a quick reaction,” Gilliard said.
