USDA Warns SNAP Benefits Will End November 1 Amid Ongoing Shutdown
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that no federal food assistance will be distributed on November 1, citing a lack of available funding as the ongoing government shutdown enters its 27th day — the longest in U.S. history.
The notice, posted on the USDA’s website, stated that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to more than 41 million Americans, will not issue payments next month. The notice follows the Trump administration’s decision not to use approximately $5 billion in contingency funds to extend SNAP benefits into November.
In the notice, the USDA attributed the lapse in funding to continued disagreement in Congress. The statement said Senate Democrats have “voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program,” and urged lawmakers to “reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
Democratic leaders, meanwhile, have maintained that they will not move forward with a funding bill until Republicans agree to negotiate on extending tax credits under the Affordable Care Act.
With SNAP funding halted, millions of families and federal workers already affected by the shutdown are facing growing uncertainty about how to meet basic needs such as food and housing.
