TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Democrats are calling on Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency as the federal government shutdown threatens to cut off food assistance for millions of residents.
With the shutdown entering its fourth week, the Florida Department of Children and Families is warning that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not be distributed starting Nov. 1 unless federal funding is restored. The federal aid helps feed nearly three million Floridians, including more than 1.5 million children.
WATCH: Lawmakers say Florida’s reserves should be used to protect residents
In a letter sent Tuesday to the governor, all 43 Democratic state lawmakers urged him to take emergency action, calling the situation “a full-blown hunger emergency.”
“Hunger doesn't care about your political party. Hunger doesn't ask if you're red. It doesn't ask if you're blue. Hunger just simply asks if you care,” said Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-Miami Gardens) in a video message posted on social media.
The proposed State of Emergency on Food Insecurity would allow DeSantis to unlock state funds to bolster local food banks and create programs to keep families fed until Washington resolves the shutdown.
House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa) said Florida’s reserves should be used to protect its residents during what she described as an unprecedented crisis.
“No Floridian should go hungry, especially not when we have an emergency fund,” Driskell said. “If hungry kids and hungry seniors, if feeding our neighbors doesn't qualify as a state of emergency, I don't know what else would.”
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'We need help': Shutdown threatens SNAP benefits as food banks brace for crisis
Driskell also placed responsibility on national Republican leadership to end the stalemate.
“Let's be very honest,” she said. “Republicans control Congress, they control the presidency in DC. If they wanted to end the shutdown, they could.”
At the federal level, both parties are trading blame. Democrats accuse the Trump administration of refusing to use emergency funds to sustain SNAP, while a U.S. Department of Agriculture memo points the finger back, saying Democrats in Congress are blocking a clean spending bill and that contingency dollars can’t be used during a shutdown.
“This is a congressional problem and crisis has been created by the Democrats because they're playing partisan games,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a CNN interview. “There's nothing the president can do. We don't have anything to offer them.”
DeSantis has not yet commented on the Democrats’ letter, but earlier this month dismissed the broader shutdown as “DC theater.”
“This will be resolved at some point,” the governor said during an Oct. 1 news conference in Jacksonville. “I mean, you know, it's kind of just the typical DC theater. You know, our Congress has got a lot of issues.”
Meanwhile, Florida food banks are bracing for impact. Groups like Feeding Tampa Bay and the Treasure Coast Food Bank warn they’re already running low on supplies and cannot fill the gap if SNAP benefits stop.
“With this there is no safety net,” said Judith Cruz, CEO of the Treasure Coast Food Bank. “We are the only safety net, and our resources are being stretched too thin.”
For now, October benefits remain intact, but if federal negotiators fail to reach an agreement soon, millions could lose access to essential food aid by Friday.
“The state has both the means and the moral duty to act,” Driskell said. “The clock is ticking.”
