The SNAP Crisis: Washington’s Mess, Georgia’s Opportunity

I went several years choosing not to speak to 11Alive News because every time I did, I got burned. Earlier this year, I decided to bury the hatchet after one of their reporters covered a post I wrote calling out the Fulton County Commission for refusing to seat Republicans on the county election board. That story was fair, and for a brief moment, I thought maybe the hatchet would stay buried.

Then came this week’s coverage of Georgia’s looming SNAP funding lapse.

For my day job, I wrote a memo last week explaining how Georgia has both the legal justification and the economic urgency to step in temporarily. We have a strong rainy-day fund because of years of disciplined conservative budgeting. The state has the tools to protect Georgia families and our economy while Washington plays politics with the grocery money of the most vulnerable.

After I started sharing that memo, I learned that Virginia is doing exactly what I recommended, using state funds to bridge the gap until Congress acts. Virginia will be paid back once the continuing resolution (CR) is finally passed because the SNAP funds are already in it. The mechanisms already exist, and Georgia could do the same with no small amount of ingenuity and administrative elbow grease.

But in the 11Alive story, none of my comments about Georgia being responsibly governed made it in. They cut my comments about how that responsible governance is what put Georgia in a position to even have this option. They also left out the part where I said you cannot pull $300 million out of our state’s economy overnight without serious consequences, no matter how you feel about welfare programs.

If you live in a small Georgia town, this is not some abstract policy debate. It means the Piggly Wiggly in Franklin suddenly sells a lot fewer groceries. It means the cashier’s hours get cut, the owner delays restocking shelves, and the distributor that delivers twice a week might only come once. That same truck also supplies the diner down the street and the local school cafeteria. When $300 million disappears from Georgia’s economy overnight, it is not just families who go hungry. It is small businesses that tighten their belts, local governments that see less sales tax revenue, and communities that start to feel poorer almost immediately. The federal government might treat this like a line item, but here in Georgia, it is real people, real paychecks, and real towns that take the hit.

11Alive saw fit to include a clip of someone they did not name or what their role is in the world to blame “this administration” for playing politics with food. I mean… just… Sigh.

Governor Kemp later raised a fair question: where does it stop? If we cover this gap, what happens when other federally funded programs falter? That concern is valid, and it is exactly why I stressed in the memo that communication matters. Georgia can step in temporarily because it governs responsibly while Washington cannot, because it does not. The Governor is accurate and right to call out Jon Ossoff, who is conveniently up for reelection next year, for failing the people of Georgia and voting to shut the government down.

From my perspective this is about the economic damage that will be done to my home state and her people. I want to see fewer people on welfare programs because they have access to economic opportunities that lead them to being self reliant. And we should all be working toward that goal, but right now that becomes infinitely harder when faced with Washington’s manufactured crisis. We have to slowly address these programs because a hard stop will cause a great deal of economic carnage.

The 11Alive piece says I called inaction irresponsible. I did, but not about anyone in Georgia. That criticism was directed at the federal government, which has been reckless in allowing this crisis to unfold.

There are exactly 2 Georgians who can change their behavior today and help end the shutdown. They are Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.

Lucky for me I have this platform where I can clarify and expand my remarks. But, to the folks at 11Alive, thank you for reminding me why I stopped taking your calls.