Overview
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro accused Vice President JD Vance of abandoning his Appalachian roots and called him a "total phony" over efforts tied to withholding SNAP during the shutdown.
- Vance press secretary Taylor Van Kirk dismissed Shapiro’s criticism, labeled the stoppage a "Democrat shutdown," and said the Trump administration worked with some Democrats on a plan to reopen the government and fund SNAP.
- Shapiro said Pennsylvania joined a multistate effort to force the release of November SNAP funds, though the Commonwealth itself was not a plaintiff as Republican Attorney General David Sunday did not participate.
- Reporting noted that federal judges ruled against withholding SNAP during the shutdown and that the Supreme Court temporarily stayed those decisions.
- Pennsylvania detailed state actions to cushion the lapse, including a disaster declaration and directing millions to food banks through Feeding Pennsylvania.