NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — While federal workers across the country continue working without paychecks during the ongoing government shutdown, Tennessee state employees may soon join them as federal funding that supports their positions begins to run dry.
State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said this could potentially impact hundreds of state employees.
"You have state employees that could potentially be furloughed and lose their pay and potentially lose their health insurance," said Johnson, a Franklin based Republican.
Unlike typical federal shutdowns that don't impact state-level jobs, Tennessee relies heavily on federal funding for many positions. While there's no exact timeline for when that funding will be exhausted, Johnson said the Department of Human Services would likely see the heaviest concentration of affected workers.
We reached out to the Tennessee Commissioner of Finance and Administration. A staffer there initially promised more information about which state departments would be impacted and when, but they didn't follow back up with additional information.
"Let's declare a state of emergency."
Tennessee's House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons is calling for Governor Bill Lee to intervene.
"Let's declare a state emergency and appropriate emergency funds to fill in the funding gap," Clemmons said.
Clemmons said he believes lawmakers should be called back to the state capitol to set aside emergency money to keep state workers employed and provide temporary assistance to federal SNAP recipients who may also lose support starting in November.
"This is a real problem facing 10 percent of Tennesseans. We have to do something. Sitting on our hands and sitting idly by while children go hungry is completely unacceptable. It's unconscionable to me," Clemmons said.
However, Johnson doesn't think that's a prudent way to move forward.
"I don't see the value in having a special session. What we need is for Democrats to do the right thing in Washington," Johnson said.
SNAP into action
Governor Bill Lee said on Friday that Tennessee can't use state dollars to provide SNAP benefits because there's no way to load the benefits onto customers' cards. However, Republican governors in Louisiana and Virginia have declared emergency orders in their states to approve food assistance benefits until the federal government reopens.
We have reached out to Governor Lee's office to see if they will consider a similar move, but have not yet received a response.
Rainy Day Fund
The state of Tennessee does have a Rainy Day Fund, which can be used in emergency financial situations. However, Johnson said the Rainy Day Fund can't be used in this scenario.
"There are some statutory prohibitions on some of that. These are federal dollars that come through to pay for federal programs, and if the state were to step up and pay Tennessee state tax dollars to backfill those, we would not get that money back," Johnson said.
Clemmons said he doesn't think the Rainy Day Fund needs to be used, considering the state has re-appropriated funds after natural disasters and emergencies in the past.
Blame Game
The blame for the shutdown all depends on who you ask. Johnson called it shameful that Democrats are refusing to open the government, while Clemmons said Governor Lee is nowhere to be found and Republican colleagues just want to continue playing politics.
The one thing both sides agree on is that the situation will hurt real Tennesseans. "That's going to be harmful to some Tennesseans across the state," Johnson said.
"Let's make sure these employees don't go hungry heading into the holidays," Clemmons said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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