It’s not just money to buy food that’s at risk now due to the historically long federal government shutdown, Gov. Maura Healey said Wednesday, while maintaining that the state isn’t able to use its own substantial reserve fund to plug growing gaps in safety net programs.
Home heating assistance via the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), child care programs and nutrition benefits aside from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) like the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program (WIC) have also run out of funding or are at risk of it, Healey said.
“A million residents in Massachusetts denied SNAP. Another 300,000 in Massachusetts denied heating assistance funding right now from the federal government. A separate ‘nother 300,000 Massachusetts residents who received notices that their health care premiums are going to go up through the roof, in some instances, increasing by as much as $20,000,” Healey said during an appearance on “Boston Public Radio.”…