SNAP recipients face uncertainty as Virginia launches emergency food program: 'I felt frustrated'

"I felt frustrated. I felt angry," said Lynette Hicks, a SNAP benefits recipient.

The ongoing partisan debate about reopening the government has left more than 30 days of shutdown behind. This puts tens of millions of Americans, including more than 800,000 Virginians, at risk of not being able to afford food.

"No one is considering how the government shutdown is affecting people such as myself who rely on SNAP benefits to feed our families," Hicks said.

In response, Gov. Glenn Youngkin created a statewide program called Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA). The program uses state funds to continue food benefits through an emergency declaration made in late October.

"The state is going to step in for a while, we can't do it forever because we have the financial resources to do