CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE amending Ordinance 127156, which adopted the 2025 Budget; making appropriations from the General Fund for food programs and reserves; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts; all by a 3/4 vote of the City Council.
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WHEREAS, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance to more than 40 million Americans, including over 50,000 Seattleites; and
WHEREAS, approximately 930,000 Washington residents receive SNAP benefits, amounting to $173 million in monthly payments from the federal government, of which Seattleites receive approximately $16 million per month; and
WHEREAS, because of the October/November 2025 shutdown of the federal government, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that SNAP funding was ceased as of November 1, 2025; and
WHEREAS, the cuts to SNAP exacerbated existing food insecurity and inaccessibility within Seattle and the surrounding region, which already disproportionately impacts low-income and BIPOC communities; and
WHEREAS, without immediate emergency actions, a loss of SNAP funding and food access would have resulted in significant harm to Seattleites, caused individuals and families to go hungry, and caused financial loss and hardship - impacting the ability to afford housing, educational outcomes, and mental and physical health; and
WHEREAS, on October 30, 2025, Mayor Harrell declared a limited state of Civil Emergency to allow the City to respond rapidly, including directing the City Budget Director to make funds available for immediate food assistance; and
WHEREAS, for three weeks in November, the Human Services Department and Office of Sustainability and Environment worked with community partner organizations to ramp up and distribute existing food resource channels; and
WHEREAS, uncertainty about future federal policies affecting City and community-provided programs incr...
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