Governor Wes Moore on November 3, 2025, directed the release of $62 million in state funds to guarantee full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for Maryland recipients through November, countering partial federal coverage amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The funding, drawn from the state’s Fiscal Responsibility Fund, addresses a shortfall after U.S. District Court rulings in Rhode Island and Massachusetts compelled the U.S. Department of Agriculture to deploy contingency funds for SNAP. The Trump administration, in a morning court filing, pledged compliance but limited its share to 50 percent of benefits, leaving states to bridge the rest without assured reimbursement. Maryland’s move ensures uninterrupted access for about 680,000 recipients, including nearly 270,000 children, who rely on the program for an average monthly benefit of $198 per household.
Moore, a Democrat in his second year as governor, framed the action as a core duty of state leadership. “One of the first and most basic priorities of governing is to ensure that families do not go hungry,” he said in a prepared statement. “We will continue to do everything in our power to protect our people in these difficult times. But no state can fill the enormous gap created by Donald Trump and his administration. It’s time for the federal government to do its job and fully fund food assistance.”
The announcement builds on steps taken last week, when Moore invoked a state of emergency to tackle shutdown fallout, including furloughs and terminations affecting 269,000 federal workers in Maryland. That declaration unlocked $10 million for food security partners, such as pantries and soup kitchens, to offset disruptions from delayed SNAP payments and worker income losses. Both funding streams target immediate needs, with the larger sum going directly to benefit cards for eligible households.
Maryland Department of Human Services Secretary Rafael López emphasized the urgency. “Maryland families shouldn’t have to suffer because the federal government chose to pause vital benefits,” López said. “The governor’s decisive action is helping prevent Maryland families from going hungry during this senseless government shutdown. We will move urgently to get Marylanders the SNAP benefits their families depend on to put food on the table.”
Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman, whose office oversees fiscal matters, endorsed the release in a separate statement. “I applaud Governor Wes Moore for his decision to protect Maryland families and small food retailers by releasing $62 million in state funding for SNAP food assistance for Marylanders to match the amount USDA will fund out of the federal contingency fund,” Lierman said. “These funds will help put food on the table for hundreds of thousands of families and seniors through the end of November.”
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, provides electronic benefit transfer cards for purchasing groceries at approved retailers. In Maryland, the program processes applications online at MarylandBenefits.gov, where new claims continue despite federal delays. For immediate help, residents can dial 211 or visit 211maryland.org to connect with local resources, including emergency food distributions.
The shutdown, now in its fourth week, stems from congressional impasse over spending and border security, halting nonessential federal operations since late October. Maryland joined a multistate lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court at month’s end, alleging unlawful suspension of SNAP amid the lapse. Private plaintiffs in Rhode Island filed a parallel suit, both yielding victories Friday that mandated contingency use. The Rhode Island court specifically ordered USDA payment of November benefits, though the administration’s partial compliance has prompted further legal scrutiny.
In Southern Maryland, the stakes run high for communities in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, where federal installations like Naval Air Station Patuxent River employ thousands vulnerable to furloughs. St. Mary’s County officials, in a board meeting last week, reviewed SNAP lapse risks, noting potential strains on local welfare rolls that serve about 15,000 households regionally. Organizations such as the Southern Maryland Food Bank and St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services have ramped up alerts, urging eligible families to verify status and stock nonperishables. Data from the Maryland Hunger Solutions map indicates Southern counties account for roughly 8 percent of statewide SNAP enrollment, with higher rates among seniors and military families near bases.
Economically, SNAP injects vitality into local economies. Lierman noted the program generates more than $187 million in monthly activity statewide, sustaining over 13,000 jobs from farm to checkout. In Southern Maryland, this translates to bolstering retailers in Leonardtown and Prince Frederick, where grocers report steady demand from benefit users. A 2023 analysis by the state’s hunger relief nonprofit equated average per-person benefits to about $6 daily, underscoring the program’s role in stretching tight budgets amid inflation.
This episode echoes the 2018-2019 shutdown, when partial SNAP delays hit 40,000 Marylanders before congressional intervention. Then, as now, states leaned on reserves; Maryland’s current fiscal cushion, bolstered by rainy-day funds, enables the $72 million total outlay without immediate tax hikes. Advocates praise the response but call for federal resolution. The Maryland Food Bank, recipient of prior emergency aid, has distributed 1.2 million meals since October, prioritizing shutdown-affected zip codes in La Plata and Lusby.
SNAP operates under the 2009 farm bill framework, renewed periodically, with states administering via federal reimbursements at 100 percent for benefits but 50 percent for operations. The contingency clause, invoked here, draws from USDA’s $5.7 billion reserve for disruptions. Legal experts anticipate appeals, potentially extending uncertainty into December. Meanwhile, Maryland’s Department of Human Services urges recertification by midmonth to avoid gaps.
As winter nears, the funding averts a projected 20 percent spike in pantry visits, per state estimates. Moore’s office signals readiness for December if needed, pending budget talks. The episode highlights Maryland’s buffer against federal volatility, a pattern since the 2013 sequester trimmed eligibility. With 12 percent of residents food insecure pre-shutdown, per U.S. Census data, these measures safeguard vulnerable groups from Calvert Cliffs to Point Lookout.
