COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Democrats are pushing to protect federal assistance programs as the Trump administration warns funding may be short if the federal shutdown continues into November.

“My constituents, and Ohioans across this state, cannot have their benefits held hostage,” said state Rep. Latyna Humphrey, a Columbus Democrat. “With no clear end in sight, we must act to protect families before it’s too late.”

House Bill 502 , which Humphrey introduced earlier this month, would use state dollars to backfill any federal shortfalls in three programs:

If federal funding dipped, the respective directors of the state departments of Job and Family Services and Health would calculate how much they needed to cover SNAP, WIC and TANF.

The state could then withdraw that amount from its Bud

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