US EditionKentucky Senior Meals Funding Restored for Now, Governor Warns of 2026 Budget-Tightening
The $9.1 million reallocation will sustain senior meal services amid a $305 million state budget shortfall during the federal funding pause, officials said.
- Governor Andy Beshear announced Monday that he reallocated $9.1 million to the Senior Meals program after local agencies ran out of funds.
- Because November funding was paused, the federal government interrupted SNAP and TANF assistance across Kentucky, and Beshear said the state will cover costs this month but cannot guarantee December support.
- Florence Ernst, 94, said she depends on deliveries while Meals on Wheels volunteer Kirk Culmer described clients as devastated and confused, noting 900 Jefferson County residents rely on the program.
- Beshear framed the move as temporary and said the funding comes from unused state funds, including a state-funded Medicaid study that was never done, adding `As a state, we're doing what we can to help cover the support our Kentucky families rely on` through next June.
- With COVID-era funds gone and a projected $300 million deficit, Republican state lawmakers blamed Beshear for mismanagement, while David Meade, Kentucky Speaker Pro Tempore , praised the $23.8 billion budget use.
11 Articles
11 Articles
The Paducah Sun
'No Kentuckian should face hunger': State reallocates funding for senior meals
In the wake of a 60% funding cut to senior meals programs across Kentucky earlier this month, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Monday that $9.1 million will be reallocated to bridge the gap.
Kentucky senior meals funding restored for now, governor warns of 2026 budget-tightening
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — A state funded senior meals program will continue operations after an outcry in Frankfort. While Gov. Andy Beshear’s office has found a temporary fix, there’s concern more programs Kentuckians rely on could face cuts in the 2026 budget. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: “This wasn't a routine or regular movement of budgeted dollars, but required we find a usable, specific pot of money,” Beshear said Monday. “I think they should hav…
kentuckylantern.com
Hoptown Chronicle‘Scary, stressful time,’ says Beshear with nutrition aid for 1 in 8 Kentuckians in doubt
A shopper who receives SNAP benefits slides an EBT card at a checkout counter in a Washington, D.C., grocery store in December 2024. (Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture)Meals for seniors in Kentucky are getting a $9.1 million temporary lifeline after pandemic-era funding expired, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday. Meanwhile, roughly 576,000 Kentuckians may go without food benefits in November as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (S…
Governor Beshear reallocates $9.1M to fund senior meals during shutdown
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) - Governor Andy Beshear announced that his administration has reallocated $9.1 million to the Aging and Independent Living appropriation for the Senior Meals program following news that Area Development Districts (ADDs) have exhausted all previously budgeted funding for the program. Officials say Gov. Beshear also shared an update on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and some plans for the state to tempor…
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