NORFOLK, Va. — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) has signed an executive order establishing her "Keep Virginia Covered" policy in response to federal spending cuts that could impact Medicaid and SNAP food benefits.
The move comes as demand for food assistance remains high. Kee Greene, a mother of a young daughter, said in April she faced obstacles trying to get food stamps and turned to a group called RESET Inc. for help.
"Without her and this food bank I wouldn't know how me and my daughter would be eating," Greene said.
Spanberger says the goal of the executive order is to keep every person using Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP — covered.
"Billions of dollars are being pulled out of our healthcare system here in Virginia and we are being required to spend millions upon millions to implement these new federal requirements," Spanberger said.
WATCH: Sen. Tim Kaine discusses SNAP cuts with Hampton Roads food bank leaders
The executive order is a direct response to the federal budget bill passed by Congress — called the One Big Beautiful Bill. The bill made federal changes to programs like Medicaid and SNAP, passing those costs down to states. The White House has said it is an effort to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from the programs.
"We are working to mitigate every possible harm that we can as an administration, but to be clear H.R. 1 or the so called One Big Beautiful Bill was put in place as a cost cutting mechanism at the federal level," Spanberger said.
Spanberger and Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin Figueroa laid out what is at stake in Virginia. They say nearly 2 million people in Virginia rely on Medicaid. New work requirements could mean about 300,000 people are at risk of losing their coverage.
The funding formula for SNAP is also changing from a 50-50 cost split with the federal government to 75% on the states. They say about 7,000 people could be in jeopardy of losing those benefits.
The executive order directs her administration to help people find alternative coverage where possible, and regional workshops will be held to help people figure out their options.
WATCH: What does Spanberger's break-up with ICE really mean for Virginia?
Spanberger warned these costs could be felt by everyone.
"When Virginians lose their health coverage, premiums will go up for everyone else the impact will be felt across Virginia," Spanberger said.
More outreach is expected as the cuts take effect.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
