FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2025
The team at the Public Justice Center thanks Governor Moore for committing $62 million in state funds needed to ensure that the 680,000 Marylanders who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive their November benefit. In addition to testimony from PJC attorney Michelle Madaio, we also thank Chair Ben Barnes and Chair Guy Guzzone for their leadership, Comptroller Brooke Lierman for her testimony, and the Delegates and Senators who spoke out in support of issuing SNAP and ensuring Marylanders do not go hungry at a legislative briefing last Wednesday. Finally, we thank community advocate Kendra James for her compelling, personal testimony on the importance of SNAP to her family and community before the committees.
On Friday October 31, PJC joined 90 anti-poverty organizations in a sign-on letter calling on Governor Moore to release funds from Maryland’s Rainy Day fund to cover the cost of November SNAP payments. Later that day, two federal judges found that the withholding of funds by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) was in violation of the law. In response, the federal administration agreed to use the SNAP contingency reserve to partially fund November SNAP benefits, though those resources have not yet been distributed. We applaud the State of Maryland for building on their initial $10 million commitment to support food banks, by joining states like Delaware, Louisiana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia, whose leaders have committed state funds to meet the direct needs of their residents. We cannot allow the tyranny coming from the White House to breed chaos or place vulnerable people on the brink of starvation.
SNAP is a critical and effective program to address food insecurity. 1 in 9 Marylanders throughout the state receive SNAP. Consider the following data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
PJC’s executive director Khalilah M. Harris shared, “We should never wait for policies or inaction to create a hurricane-level emergency before we use Maryland’s over $2.2 billion rainy day fund. The fact that no Marylanders have received any SNAP benefits to date but have been reminded of new work requirements imposed by this federal administration is an injustice. No family in our great state should ever be deciding between food and other basic needs.”
Join us in thanking Governor Moore and Maryland lawmakers for stepping up to fill the direct needs of Maryland families in November. Share your thanks here.
For more information contact news@publicjustice.org.
