Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) released the following statement after voting YES for a fourteenth time to reopen the federal government and end the longest U.S. government shutdown in American history.

NOTE: Despite the ongoing shutdown, a federal court has approved the use of USDA contingency funds to allow partial food stamps (SNAP) to resume as soon as possible.

“The easiest way to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program is to open the government back up,” said Senator Mullin. “Oklahoma families are having to decide between putting gas in their car, paying the electric bill, or feeding their children. It’s a horrible situation, but it was entirely preventable. I’ve voted 14 times to reopen the government, fund SNAP, pay our troops, and get the government working for the American people. I’m optimistic at this point that enough Senate Democrats will finally get on board and end this Schumer Shutdown before the end of the week.”

“This morning, USDA sent SNAP guidance to States,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in an X post today. “My team stands by to offer immediate technical assistance. This will be a cumbersome process, including revised eligibility systems, State notification procedures, and ultimately, delayed benefits for weeks, but we will help States navigate those challenges. Challenges caused by Senate Democrats’ refusal to reopen the government. Another vote is this morning. NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO DO THE RIGHT THING! If the government opens, families get their FULL benefit much more quickly.”

“The administration is fully complying with the [SNAP] court order,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “The recipients of these SNAP benefits need to understand it’s going to take some time to receive this money, because the Democrats have forced the administration into a very untenable position. We are digging into a contingency fund that is supposed to be for emergencies, catastrophes, or war… it’s going to take some time… the best way to get the full amount of SNAP benefits to those beneficiaries is for Democrats to reopen the government.”

Oklahomans who are struggling with food scarcity are encouraged to utilize the Oklahoma Human Services’ Be a Neighbor program to find community resource partners across the state of Oklahoma. Residents in need are encouraged to get in touch with the program’s non-profits, faith-based groups, Tribes, and community organizations for timely assistance. 

What Oklahomans Need to Know:

• A federal court has allowed the use of USDA contingency funds so partial SNAP benefits can resume as soon as possible. The White House has confirmed they will comply with the court order, and it’ll take time.

• SNAP will reportedly receive about 50% of its normal benefit level through November using a fund designed for natural disasters and other emergencies.

• SNAP has about $4.65 billion in a contingency fund, about half of what it would take to fund the program for the month (about $8 billion).

• As a reminder, SNAP ran out of funds on Saturday, November 1^st after—despite the Oklahoma federal delegation voting 15 times (14 times in U.S. Senate, once in U.S. House) to open the government and fully fund SNAP— the majority of Senate Democrats have continuously voted to keep the government closed.

• Today, Senate Dems blocked a 14^th vote to reopen.

• President Trump has done his best to shield Americans from the harsh consequences of a shutdown, but Democrats are seeing the consequences of their own actions.

• The quickest way to fully fund SNAP for the 16.8% of Oklahomans who rely on food stamps is to have enough U.S. Senators voting to reopen the government. That means urging 5 more Senate Democrats to support the only bipartisan plan on the table.

Senator Mullin’s latest social media video addressing President Trump’s call to eliminate the filibuster is available HERE.

###