Annapolis, Md. – Today, Maryland Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey and Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready responded to reports that Governor Wes Moore will announce a state plan to maintain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for Marylanders affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Hershey said the move represents long-overdue leadership following growing public pressure to protect the nearly 680,000 Maryland residents who rely on SNAP.

“For days, Governor Moore insisted there was nothing the state could do if federal food aid ran out,” Hershey said. “I challenged that position because Marylanders deserve a governor who acts, not one who blames. I’m glad to see the Governor finally stepping up to govern rather than to grandstand.”

Hershey noted that neighboring states, including Virginia and Delaware, had already taken steps to protect their most vulnerable citizens while Maryland lagged behind.

“Governor Moore is finally following Governor Youngkin’s lead — hopefully he’ll take a few more pages from that playbook when it comes to economic and tax policy,” Hershey added. “Virginia was able to act faster because they’ve managed their budget responsibly. Years of overspending in Annapolis make it harder for Maryland to step up when families need help most.”

Ready emphasized that the ultimate fix lies in Washington, where Maryland’s two Democratic U.S. Senators have repeatedly voted to keep the government closed rather than negotiate a bipartisan agreement.

“Governor Moore can only paper over the problem for so long,” Ready said. “The real solution is for Senators Van Hollen and Alsobrooks to stop playing politics and simply vote to reopen the government. Instead of standing up for Maryland families, they’re standing with Congressional Democrats in a political stunt that’s hurting the very people they claim to represent.”

The Senate Republican leaders said their focus remains on protecting working families and ensuring state resources are used responsibly.

“If the Governor’s announcement today means more Marylanders will be able to put food on the table, that’s good news,” Hershey said. “But this should have happened days ago — and it never should have taken this much pressure to get there.”

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