Gov. Greg Gianforte will not authorize state dollars to cover the costs of a federal food assistance program that’s set to lapse in only a few days, his office said Tuesday.

Because of the ongoing shutdown of the federal government – now in its fourth week – funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will dry up starting Nov. 1, leaving roughly 77,000 Montanans without the monthly support that helps them afford groceries.

Food assistance on the chopping block for Montanans next month if shutdown persists

At least eight other states have taken steps to fast track funding to food banks or to cover the cost of SNAP benefits themselves rather than let the benefits lapse. But Gianforte said he is unwilling to put the state on the hook for a multi-million-dollar-a-mo

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