[Regnum] New York State authorities have declared a state of emergency to fund food stamps following the federal government shutdown. Governor Kathy Hochul announced this on Thursday, October 30.
"I want to use every tool at our disposal to ensure New Yorkers don't go hungry," Hochul said at a press conference.
The decision was prompted by the government shutdown, which will stop Americans from receiving food stamps on November 1. Around 42 million people in the country use the food assistance program.
The governor also announced an additional $65 million in emergency food assistance, which, according to her website, equates to 40 million meals. More than 3 million people in New York State receive food stamps.
Earlier, on October 30, Reuters reported that the FBI's shutdown left it without funds to pay informants or purchase drugs and weapons undercover. Furthermore, there is no money for travel for agency operatives.
The shutdown began on October 1. It was triggered by the failure to approve the budget for the new fiscal year, which in the United States begins three months earlier than the calendar year. The budget is unable to be passed due to the standoff between Republicans and Democrats in Congress. As a result of the funding suspension, approximately 800,000 government employees, or almost 40% of the total federal workforce, are at risk of temporary layoffs.