Marshall Joins Multi-State Call to Protect SNAP Amid Shutdown Threat

October 30, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL - Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a coalition of 19 state attorneys general urging the U.S. Senate to take swift action to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from disruption as federal budget negotiations stall.

In a letter addressed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the bipartisan group-led by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost-calls for the passage of a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government and safeguard essential services like SNAP, which supports more than 41 million Americans.

"Senate Democrats could end this shutdown with a single vote," Marshall stated. "Instead, Senator Schumer is putting politics ahead of the American people. A government shutdown or lapse in SNAP funding is not an abstract policy debate-it has real consequences for families in our communities. It's past time for Senate Democrats to do the right thing and pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government. No family should go hungry because of political games in Washington."

The coalition warns that if the shutdown continues past Halloween, millions of Americans-including 1.4 million in Ohio alone-could lose access to SNAP benefits. The letter highlights the program's critical role in supporting working families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities, especially in rural and underserved areas.

"That means working parents, senior citizens and people with disabilities will be left wondering how to put food on the table while Washington argues," the letter states."

The attorneys general emphasize that Congress has passed similar clean continuing resolutions 13 times in recent years under both Republican and Democratic leadership. They argue that continuing government operations should not be viewed as a partisan concession but as a basic responsibility.

In Alabama, SNAP serves hundreds of thousands of residents, including children, veterans, and low-income households. The letter notes that nearly 15.6 million people across the 19 signatory states rely on SNAP for food security.

States joining Alabama and Ohio in the letter include Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Marshall is a 2026 candidate for U.S. Senate.