As the government shutdown continues, pressure is growing on state leaders to step in and help families relying on food assistance programs. However, 95.5 WSB reports that Governor Brian Kemp has rejected appeals from Georgia Democrats urging him to use state money to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, running past this weekend.

The federal government has not approved funding to continue SNAP beyond November 1, leaving more than 1.4 million Georgians uncertain about how they will buy groceries. Several states, including Minnesota and Massachusetts, have announced temporary measures to fill the gap with their own budgets. Kemp made clear Georgia will not follow their example.

“They’re talking to the wrong person,” Kemp told reporters. “You don’t know if the state would ever be reimbursed or how long the shutdown could last. This is not something states can solve.”

Democratic lawmakers, such as State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes, argue the crisis has gone beyond politics. “This is about children eating dinner,” she said, calling on Kemp to declare a state of emergency. Local officials have warned that food banks are already seeing increased demand, and Atlanta’s mayor is expected to unveil an emergency food program later this week.

Kemp maintains that state intervention would set a dangerous precedent, insisting that Congress must act. “Our senators should vote to reopen the government. That solves all of this,” he said. “If states start stepping in, it never ends.”

The ongoing shutdown has frozen a wide range of federal services. Thousands of federal employees in Georgia remain furloughed, and travelers are already experiencing longer lines at airports as unpaid TSA workers call out sick.

Community organizations across Georgia are preparing for an influx of families in need if federal aid remains suspended beyond this weekend.