RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that the Commonwealth will step in to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if the federal government shutdown continues into November, ensuring more than 850,000 Virginians do not lose access to critical meal assistance.

Youngkin declared a state of emergency to implement a new parallel food assistance system called the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance Program (VENA). The program will deliver SNAP benefits weekly, rather than monthly, using existing EBT cards. Benefits are set to begin Monday, November 3, if federal funding has not resumed, and will be funded from the state’s surplus, totaling approximately $37.5 million per week.

“The state of Virginia is going to step in and cover the benef

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