FRANKFORT – (TNS) About 600,000 people could start to go hungry after Nov. 1 if the shuttered federal government doesn’t provide the $106 million it owes for next month’s SNAP benefits to help low-income Kentuckians buy groceries.

At the same time, the state of Kentucky sat on $3.7 billion at the close of Fiscal Year 2025 in its budget reserve trust fund account, informally known as the state’s “rainy day fund.”

So, is it raining?

Some people who worry about the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits say Kentucky should break into its piggy bank to cover what Uncle Sam apparently won’t.

There’s no point in having emergency savings if you don’t use them during an emergency, said Jason Bailey, executive director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy in Berea.

“I

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