Senator Shelley Moore Capito says she has signed on as a sponsor of a standalone bill to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as the federal government shutdown continues.
The “Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025” now has 29 cosponsors, including Capito. West Virginia’s other senator, Jim Justice, is not listed as a sponsor currently.
Capito said she first heard of the legislation earlier this week, reflected by her response to a quick hallway interview by the national Politico: “Yeah, I would vote for that.”
Asked to elaborate during an online briefing with West Virginia reporters, Capito said she sought more information about the bill and decided to sign on.
“I did my research on the bill and decided this is important to West Virginia. So not only would I vote for it, but I’m a co-sponsor of the bill if it were to come up,” said Capito, R-W.Va.
“Chances of it coming up certainly won’t be this week. It may be in the future, but hopefully we’ll break this logjam before that would be necessary. But yes, I would vote for that bill.”
Separate bills sponsored by Republicans and Democrats to keep SNAP funded were blocked from unanimous consent passage in the Senate this week.
Federal officials announced that benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will not be available Nov. 1, this Saturday, affecting 42 million Americans as the shutdown drags on.
About 275,000 West Virginians — 16% of the state’s population — are supported by SNAP benefits. The total amount necessary to fund SNAP benefits in West Virginia for a month is about $47 million.
HOPPY KERCHEVAL: When elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers
Josh Hawley, a senator from Missouri, is the main sponsor of a standalone Republican bill to fund SNAP. “No American Should Go to Bed Hungry,” he wrote this week in an opinion article in The New York Times.
“Millions of Americans rely on food assistance just to get by. The program often known as food stamps — officially it’s now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — is a lifeline that permits the needy to purchase basic food items at the grocery store,” he wrote.
“Last year, SNAP enrollees hit about 42 million. That’s over 12 percent of the American population.”
T.J. MEADOWS: If you want proof that Washington is broken, you’ve got it
In West Virginia, the disruption is expected to hit hard. Gov. Patrick Morrisey has announced a donation drive with matching state funding of up to $13 million to help food banks while federal supplemental food benefits are halted.
Small grocers will also be affected by the disruption to 275,000 West Virginians, Bridget Lambert, president of the West Virginia Retailers Association, told WMOV Radio.
“We are in uncharted territory with the SNAP program in West Virginia and all across the country. So retailers are grappling with this change that they have not had to deal with in the past,” Lambert said.
The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy think tank has maintained that the Trump administration has the legal authority to use contingency funds to continue SNAP benefits. The organization wrote to urge West Virginians to reach out to the congressional delegation.
“SNAP benefits have never failed to go out since the program’s inception. The law requires USDA and the Trump Administration to tap contingency funds and ensure November SNAP funds go out to families,” said Kelly Allen, executive director of the progressive organization.
Two dozen states sued the Trump administration to compel the use of emergency shortfall dollars to fund SNAP, although West Virginia was not among them.
Democrats in the West Virginia House of Delegates sent letters this week urging President Trump, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and West Virginia’s congressional delegation to take immediate action to fund SNAP.
“West Virginians sent you to Washington to represent their interests, and to put their families first,” the state Democrats wrote to the congressional delegation, all Republicans.
“Without your action, the most basic ability to put food on the kitchen table is under threat. Put people over politics and choose to keep West Virginians fed.”