About 42 million Americans who use the food assistance program could be affected by days like the US shutdown
US states are warning food aid their icons may not be distributed the first Saturday when the Federal government shutdown opens its fourth week.
Warnings issued by at least two national websites flag an unprecedented cap gap for capital gains in November for women, infants and children (WIC) food assistance programs.
The shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, now it’s the second – it’s the perfect last.
Earnings households receive Snap Get Debit cards loaded each month by the federal government that serve only for sale at participating stores and farmers markets. It provided an average of $187 per month to 41.7 million people, which affects approximately one in eight Americans.
For the accounting year ending September 30, 2024, deducting expenses over $100, including part of the state’s administrative costs covered by taxpayers.
The country is limited in trying to fill the breach
Democratic Senators, housing representatives and mayors have written the Secretary of Agriculture Brokeripy Broke to pay for November assistance That is up to 60 percent of the cost of one month of benefits.
But on Friday, the USDA said it would not affect the funds and would instead keep them to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies.
“Bottom line, the well is gone,” said a notice from the department. “At this time, there will be no benefits released on November 01. We are approaching the point of decline for the senate Democrats.”
A rare political message from the state agency reflects the fact that Democrats withheld votes on the spending bill. Democrats say they won’t agree to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on increasing funding under the Affordable Care Act, which is set to expire this year.
Republicans say Democrats must first agree to reopen the government before negotiating.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of RepublicansIcut accused Republicans and President Donald Trump of not allowing negotiations.
“The truth is, if they sit down to try to negotiate, we might come up with something very quickly,” Murphy said Sunday on CNN. “We could open the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there would be no difficulty in the food stamp program.”
In the absence of government action, other states have stepped in.
California and New York said they would send money to food banks. Virginia on Thursday declared a funding emergency for November.
But others have found a small option to help Snap recipients. The Alaska Department of Health said the agency intended to use state money for benefits but found it impossible.
“Reorganizing the federal program to draw money from the state Treasury Department is not possible due to vendor and program time constraints,” according to the website.
Some states tell SNAP recipients to be ready for stoppage benefits. Arkansas and Oklahoma, for example, advise recipients to target food pantries and other food aid groups.
But nine food banks and anti-hunger groups in eight states told Reuters they would struggle to meet higher needs if the November Snap benefits were not distributed.
“The truth is, there’s not a ton we can do for ourselves. For every meal we provide, Snap provides the difference,” said Philanthropy, Clanthropy cannot replace government funding, NC
‘We’re in real trouble’: Food bank chief
Food banks have already seen record demand in recent years as food prices rise and the long tail of local household budgets.
More than 50 million people will receive food from food banks, pantries and other relief sources in 2023, compared to 40 million in 2019, according to Feeding America, a national banking network.
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The Hunger FoodBank, which operates homes in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, has had to explain to customers this year that the organization sometimes bags food for potatoes. The Food Bank has had to scale back its allocations as the high cost of food and rising demand has stretched its budget.
“You’re taking Snap dollars away, and people don’t have the resources. We’re in some real trouble,” said Cynthia Kirkhart, food bank manager.
The government shutdown isn’t the only development that could limit access to Snap. The broad policy and tax legislation that Congress and Trump signed in July also requires changes to the system. Adults with children from 14 to 17 will no longer be exempt from the requirement to work for benefits, and people will not continue to age 65.
Those policies go into effect now, and some people could start losing coverage in January.
Another change in the law will come in the coming years. From October 2026, states will pick up three-quarters of the administrative costs, as opposed to half now. While Congress may be able to change some of those policies, restarting government operations alone will not change them.
