PHOENIX – Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said she was “frustrated” and “angry” about how the federal government shutdown is causing the nation’s social safety net to fray.
“And I am so incredibly frustrated by the dysfunction in Washington and these politicians who don’t care about the harm that they’re causing to Arizonans or Americans,” Hobbs told reporters Friday after appearing at unrelated event in Phoenix.
Hobbs said there isn’t much states can do to help people facing the loss of paychecks, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food stamp benefits and Head Start child care support.
On Thursday, she allocated $1.8 million to mitigate the potential suspension of SNAP food stamps. But that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the approximately $150 million in benefits the program provides to about 900,000 Arizonans each month.
Hobbs said President Donald Trump should bring people to the table to negotiate an end to the shutdown.
“The federal government has the ability to fix this by dealing with their politics and figuring out how to get together and negotiate a budget like we did in Arizona to fund services and to keep the government moving so that these people aren’t harmed. These are safety nets that are being ripped away from people who need them,” she said.
Gov. Katie Hobbs cites personal experiences
Hobbs got personal when discussing her frustration, mentioning that her family relied on food stamps at times while she was growing up.
“I know that those were very uncomfortable times for my family,” she said. “There’s so much stigma around that, but not having that lifeline would have meant we didn’t have food on the table sometimes.”
The governor, who spent time volunteering at a food bank on Thursday, also brought up her experience as social worker.
“I worked with some of the most vulnerable Arizonans,” she said. “I worked with homeless youth, domestic violence victims who really relied on this safety net to be able to put their lives back together and um and to survive. And those things are being ripped away and … I’m angry about it and I’m frustrated.”
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.
If you are dealing with food insecurity or want to help those who are, the Arizona Food Bank Network website has a list of available resources, including a database of food banks, pantries and soup kitchens that serve people in need and accept donations. Additionally, donations can be made by texting “FOOD” to 620620.
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