The Mayors of Portland and Biddeford called for a special legislative session to release more funding to support the 170,000 Mainers who could lose their SNAP benefits because of the government shut down.
Portland Mayor Mark Dion said the $1.25 million Governor Janet Mills has pledged is not enough to replace funding for the 9,000 SNAP recipients in his city alone. He said the state should tap into its so-called rainy day fund to provide more relief.
"You have a billion dollars in the bank. That's our money. Let me be clear, that is our money. And our residents deserve it," Dion said.
Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman is also calling for a special session of the legislature to tap into the budget stabilization fund.
"We have a rainy fund for a reason. This is a rainy day. The group needs to convene and support our kids in our schools. If they are hungry, they can't show up and learn," Grohman said.
Grohman said despite the state funding for free school breakfast and lunch, he is concerned about how 50% of the kids in his district will get fed outside of school during the federal shutdown.
Mills said the rainy day fund cannot legally be used for short term SNAP funding. A federal judge in Rhode Island Friday ruled that the federal government must use contingency funds to continue SNAP benefit payments during the shutdown quote "as soon as possible." It's unclear what that will mean for recipients.
