Gov. Bob Ferguson Throws Starving Washingtonians $2 A Week — Please Clap

Earlier this week, Gov. Bob Ferguson directed almost $2.2 million in state funding per week to provide additional support to Washington’s food banks as working families brace for their federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to freeze due to the ongoing, Republican-driven shutdown of the federal government. 

That’s cool. It’s not enough. 

As Ferguson acknowledged in his press release earlier this week, about 930,000 Washingtonians receive SNAP benefits. The shutdown will block approximately $37 million in federal funds every week from households across Washington. His plan ponies up just 6% of what the federal government will deny Washington residents. And, he’s not even offering a direct 1:1 replacement for the program, but rather reinforcing the safety net SNAP recipients will fall into when they can no longer afford their groceries. 

The half-assery pissed off Rep. Shaun Scott, one of Olympia’s newest and furthest left lawmakers. On Thursday afternoon, Scott sent Ferguson’s office an official letter urging the governor to do more to help Washingtonians who will lose their benefits November 1. He urged Ferguson to declare a state of emergency, bring lawmakers back to Olympia for a special session, and pass progressive revenue so the State could step in and replace SNAP. 

“The people of our state will not care whether they can’t eat because of Republican evil in one Washington or Democrat complicity in the other – they will starve either way,” Scott wrote. 

And Scott's not being dramatic. Afterall, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is taking the potential crisis much more seriously than Ferguson. 

In a press release yesterday afternoon, his office announced that he will direct a total of $8 million — about $1 million a week — to bolster food assistance programs until the end of the year or the end of the shutdown. Based on an estimate from the City, more than 72,000 Seattle residents receive SNAP benefits. While the money won't go directly into constitutents pockets like SNAP, Harrell is forking over a little more than $13.88 a week per Seattle SNAP beneficiary. That doesn’t sound like much, but Ferguson’s doing even less, dolling out just $2.36 per Washington SNAP beneficiary. 

But this whole debate over how much local and State governments should step in may be for naught. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown joined 22 other attorneys general and three governors in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for illegally suspending SNAP. A judge may rule in their favor, forcing the feds to continue providing benefits, and rendering all this political theatre. Maybe Ferguson should have taken the opportunity to give a more inspiring performance!