The governor says Commonwealth residents will receive SNAP benefits even if the shutdown persists past Nov. 1.
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a “state of emergency” measure to relieve pressure on Commonwealth residents impacted by the government shutdown on Thursday.
The shutdown will cause Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to run out on Nov. 1.
Youngkin says this measure will extend those benefits to Virginians in the event that government services are not restored.
The governor’s announcement struck a partisan tone, pinning responsibility for the shutdown on the opposition party.
“The Democrat Shutdown will cause SNAP benefits to run out for over 850,000 Virginians in need starting November 1, 2025. I refuse to let hungry Virginians be used as ‘leverage’ by Congressional Democrats. I am declaring a State of Emergency due to the Democrat Shutdown to protect hungry Virginians in need,” said Youngkin.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than 827,000 Virginians – 9 percent of the Commonwealth’s population – receive SNAP benefits.
Financial problems for residents have been exacerbated by both the administration’s DOGE staffing cuts and the shutdown, as the largest percentage of federal workers is concentrated in Northern Virginia.
The region is also by far the largest concentration of people in the Commonwealth. Among Virginia’s 8.81 million residents (2024 statistics), more than 2.5 million live in the nine counties or independent cities in the Northern Virginia region, according to the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.
Virginia is also in the midst of three hotly contested statewide elections. According to a recent poll from Virginia Commonwealth University, Democrat challenger Abigail Spanberger (49 percent) holds the lead over Republican Winsome Earle Sears (42 percent). Democrat Ghazala Hashmi (44 percent) holds a slight lead over Republican John Reid (43 percent) in the race for lieutenant governor, and incumbent prosecutor Republican Jason Miyares holds a three-percentage-point lead over Democratic challenger Jay Jones in the race for attorney general.