Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits look set to start halting on Nov. 1, the one-month anniversary of the government shutdown, unless the Republicans and Democrats come to an agreement and reopen the government.
SNAP, a federal initiative administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides vital assistance to low-income households, many of whom rely on the food stamps to purchase their weekly groceries.
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“The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services has informed all states that there may be insufficient funds to pay November benefits through the federal SNAP Program,” read a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday. “Beginning November 1, SNAP recipients may not be able to access any unused benefits on their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.”
As the blame game between the Republicans and Democrats stretches on during the shutdown, prompted by disagreements over spending and health care matters, each side is holding the other responsible for the looming halt to SNAP benefits. State governors across America have issued stark warnings to SNAP recipients, and some have taken action to ensure food aid continues during the federal shutdown.
Virginia’s Gov. Glenn Youngkin of the Republican Party declared a state of emergency on Thursday, in order “to provide emergency hunger relief for Virginians” ahead of benefits starting to run out from Nov. 1. He went on to blame Congressional Democrats over the government stalemate.
On the West Coast, California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced on Wednesday that his state is deploying the California Military “to quickly assist families whose federal food benefits are halted because of Donald Trump’s government shutdown.”
Various other states are also working on plans of action in order to prevent SNAP recipients from going hungry when the pre-existing federal funds stop flowing.
It’s a dire situation, says Gina Plata-Nino, the interim director for SNAP at the Food Research & Action Center, a nonprofit that aims to “improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States.”
“SNAP plays a pivotal role for individuals and working Americans to ensure that they can put food on the table. While the program is supposed to be supplemental, for many families, it is their sole source of food,” Plata-Nino tells TIME.
Plata-Nino emphasized that many of the food stamp beneficiaries are dealing with reduced wages or have the responsibility of taking care of a family member. Therefore, she says, a loss of SNAP support could result in further strain on these households and have far-reaching implications, such as a decline in school performance for children or health concerns.
“Folks [will face] really difficult choices between what they’re able to afford,” warns Plata-Nino, sharing her fear that people may begin skipping meals as a result.
Smaller convenience stores, which make up the majority of grocery shops that accept SNAP credits, are also likely to feel the pinch, as Plata-Nino notes: “They operate on such a small margin that if 50% of your client base doesn’t show up for the week, it’s going to hit their own margin rates.”
Plata-Nino is also concerned about the impact this will have on the food banks that will have to pick up the slack when they are already struggling to cope with high demands, especially amid reports of grocery store prices increasing.
“They’re supposed to help with emergencies, they’re not supposed to constantly step up when the federal government refuses to act,” says Plata-Nino. “It’s a tough time for Americans at the moment, and when the Administration has the tools to stop this man-made disaster, it should do so, particularly as Thanksgiving is round the corner.”
For Weld Food Bank in Colorado, the possibility of SNAP delays is daunting and has staffers concerned for the future.
“For every meal that a food bank provides, SNAP provides nine. We don’t have the capacity to bear that burden because we can barely do the one meal now,” Weston Edmunds, Weld Food Bank’s director of marketing and communications, tells TIME.
Edmunds says that Weld Food Bank currently serves around 1,700 people daily.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera’s Administration is aiming to procure up to $10 million “in General Fund revenue” to provide emergency food bank support. But Edmunds fears these stopgap funds, once distributed among the counties, are merely a “drop in the bucket.”
“We will be there to serve our community. It just will not be in the way that we want to. Our wonderful volunteers are being stretched so thin. We’re doing a week’s worth of work in a day,” says Edmund of his team’s current efforts.
Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank, says that the pressure on food banks and pantries in Massachusetts will “undoubtedly” increase if the government shutdown stretches on.
“This is just a pile-on of hurt for people that are poor. It’s more loss and uncertainty for them. They have no other place to go, unless they have family and friends with extensive savings,” says D’Amato.
“Hunger is a non-partisan issue. There are people that are hungry… You’re attacking one of the most effective programs to feed Americans that need help, and using it to make a point in a fight around a shutdown,” D’Amato said of the government’s inaction.
Meanwhile, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley of the Republican Party has introduced two bills to fund food stamps and farm programs during the government shutdown.
The “Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025” would provide funds from the Treasury to the USDA in order to cover SNAP benefits that American households would otherwise miss out on, should the shutdown continue into November. The “Fund Farm Programs Act” proposes allocating “appropriate funds to ensure uninterrupted services for farmers.”
Hawley said he intends to ask for unanimous consent to either pass the measures or get a vote scheduled.
Plata-Nino argues that a SNAP-related bill shouldn’t need to be the solution.
“All of that would take time, but the USDA can act now. It’s a matter of choice,” she argues. “They know how much money they have in the bank… Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins just has to act fairly soon, because the process takes a while in the backend for payment to post.”
In a statement issued to TIME about the looming halt to SNAP benefits, the USDA placed the blame on the Democratic Party. “We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. Continue to hold out for the Far-Left wing of the party or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and SNAP allotments,” said a spokesperson.
Looking ahead, Edmunds of the Weld Food Bank is deeply worried for households that typically receive SNAP benefits.
“As a human and as a father, I’m very concerned for the parents that have to tell their kids that they didn’t get their SNAP,” he says, adding that November and December are usually the busiest time for food banks due to Thanksgiving and Christmas. “Families are already seeing their budgets stretched so thin, just because they want to provide an even semi-okay holiday for their kids.”