Beshear deploys Guard to food banks, criticizes Trump over SNAP halt; no immediate SNAP response from Indiana Gov. Braun

Staff report

FRANKFORT, Ky. — November 5, 2025

Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday he has authorized Kentucky National Guard personnel to assist food banks statewide and directed $5 million in state aid to Feeding Kentucky’s network, arguing that President Donald Trump’s administration forced a hunger crisis by halting November SNAP payments during the ongoing federal shutdown.

Beshear said Kentucky joined a multistate lawsuit that prompted court orders pushing USDA to release limited contingency funds for partial November SNAP benefits, but warned payments will be delayed and incomplete, straining pantries. “People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made,” he said, adding that Guard staffing will let charities spend scarce dollars on food, not overtime. He also noted $9.1 million was reallocated to keep senior meals going and that the state covered November TANF during the shutdown.

The governor previously declared a state of emergency tied to the SNAP lapse and set up an emergency relief fund; Kentucky media and state releases have detailed those steps.

USDA’s partial funding decision followed federal court action; Hoosier outlets reported that Indiana families should expect delayed, reduced payments for November.

Across the Ohio River, Indiana Democrats and anti-hunger groups have urged Gov. Mike Braun to allocate state dollars to bridge the federal gap. Republicans on the Indiana State Budget Committee voted down a proposal to use surplus funds for SNAP and food banks as the month began, and as of Wednesday, there has been no announcement from Braun committing state aid to replace lost SNAP benefits.

Some Indiana localities are moving on their own. The City of Bloomington this week approved $46,000 in emergency funding for Hoosier Hills Food Bank to expand mobile pantries and support 84 partner agencies during the pause.

Beshear said Kentucky agencies will work “day and night” to process SNAP once federal dollars flow, but he criticized Washington’s use of food assistance as a negotiating tool. “Americans should never be a bargaining chip,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the Hoosier state, despite growing food insecurity concerns, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun’s official news page on Wednesday featured headlines about lowering flags for former Vice President Dick Cheney, a Main Street partnership in Spencer County, board and commission appointments, his public schedule, and the start of college basketball season—without any mention of SNAP benefits or emergency food aid.

https://www.in.gov/gov/newsroom/news-releases

However, according to Indiana Public Media, during an event where Braun is pushing redistricting, Braun said about SNAP benefits, “Taking care of the people that need it the most through these programs — currently we don’t do that because we run the whole operation there inefficiently. I think President Trump’s trying to fix it. We’re right at that breaking point.”

The post Beshear deploys Guard to food banks, criticizes Trump over SNAP halt; no immediate SNAP response from Indiana Gov. Braun first appeared on The Bloomingtonian.