Governor Glenn Youngkin has announced the end of Executive Order No. 54, officially terminating the State of Emergency that was declared in response to a federal funding lapse which disrupted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for Virginians.
The Governor expressed appreciation for several state agencies, including the Virginia Department of Social Services, Virginia Department of Planning and Budget, Virginia Department of Accounts, and the Secretariats of Health and Human Resources and Finance. These organizations worked together to create the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA) program during the shutdown period.
The VENA initiative provided SNAP-eligible Virginians with benefits equivalent to one week’s worth for November. According to the Governor’s office, Virginia was unique among states in implementing such a replacement benefit system during this time.
“Today, we close this chapter of an extraordinary emergency response in Virginia. We said we would protect the vulnerable and make sure hungry Virginians in need were not used as leverage, and we kept that promise,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Virginia’s robust job growth and record business investment have delivered significant budget surpluses that enabled us to replace SNAP benefits with this parallel system and avoid major interruptions to these essential services.”
“I offer my highest commendation to the public servants at the state and local Virginia Departments of Social Services, the Department of Accounts, and Department of Planning and Budget, as well as the Secretary of Finance Steve Cummings and Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet V. Kelly and their teams for their round-the-clock effort to do what no other state was truly able to do to protect their most needy.”
Executive Order 56 rescinds Executive Order 54.
