The governor said the president "cut this off," and that the action has disrupted local food distribution efforts, which "takes a few days to load up" for delivery. He said preparations take "anywhere between 2 and 5 days," and added, "I will tell you what I am doing as governor because I've gotta protect my residents. I've gotta work with others to make sure that they are fed."

The governor said the state "advanced funding to our food pantries" and "stood up a United Way fund" that he estimated had drawn "3,000,000, I think, in contributions" this week. He also said he had observed a large turnout of volunteers at pantries but cautioned that the volunteer response and emergency funds "is not sustainable."

On the need for federal funds, the governor said at least one court "told him to do" what he urged the president to do 00:00:32: "he needs to release those funds ... as soon as possible because it takes us time to load up those cards." The governor framed the timing argument as operational: even if funds are released, local agencies require days to prepare and distribute assistance.

The governor repeated that he would work with others to protect residents and ensure food is distributed, but did not specify additional state actions, legal steps, or a timeline beyond his comments about the 2-to-5-day preparation window. The governor also did not provide detailed accounting of the advanced state funds or identify the court referenced beyond saying a court had ordered release of funds.