A nationwide initiative offering nutritional support to 40 million individuals with limited income might face uncertainty in November if the government closure remains unresolved by that time.
And in certain areas, new applications for the program are no longer being accepted.
However, there remains significant uncertainty regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP or food stamps, which is a remnant of an earlier form of food assistance.
Here's an overview of the current situation.
The food assistance program helps 1 out of 8 individuals in the United States.
SNAP plays a crucial role in the country's social support system, affecting almost one out of every eight individuals each month. Beneficiaries get assistance through preloaded cards that can be used for purchasing food.
The major components of the safety net — Social Security and Medicaid — are anticipated to keep providing benefits throughout the shutdown.
However, due to its funding structure, SNAP is susceptible to risks.
During the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, the SNAP program cost more than $100 billion, which included the portion of state administrative expenses paid for by federal taxpayers. It offered an average of $187 per month to 41.7 million individuals.
States received warnings regarding November benefits
When the government shut downon October 1, during a congressional budget deadlock, several points were evident regarding SNAP.
One was that the benefits would remain in effect until October.
The other thing was that it remained uncertain afterward.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, responsible for managing the program, issued letters on October 10 to state agencies that handle it, instructing them not to provide specific documents to contractors that would enable the EBT cards to be activated at the beginning of November.
Various states transmit that data at different times during the month.
Carolyn Vega, who serves as the associate director of policy analysis at Share Our Strength, an organization focused on fighting poverty, stated that halting the transmission of this information at the moment does not imply that cards cannot be loaded in the following month, whether or not government activities resume.
But it's not positive news either. "The question marks are moving in a negative direction for November," she stated.
Locating funds during the government closure might prove difficult.
A financial deal that concludes the shutdown would also reinstate SNAP funding.
Otherwise, Vega stated, it's possible that state or federal governments might release funds to fill the gap. She mentioned that prior to an approaching 2015 shutdown, similar alerts were issued and later withdrawn before Congress finalized an agreement to keep the government operational.
But due to the large amount of money involved, she pointed out, that's a challenge. For example, the overall SNAP expenses are much higher than the Special Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants and Children, which assists 6 million low-income mothers, young children, and expectant parents in buying nutritious essentials. The administration of President Donald Trump hasshored up that program— for the time being — with $300 million.
Performing the same task for the larger program might incur a monthly expense of approximately $8 billion.
At tens to hundreds of millions of dollars each month per state, securing state funds to cover these expenses might also prove challenging. Peter Hadler, the deputy commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Social Services, informed legislators in his state on Thursday that there could be another issue with attempting this: He does not anticipate the federal government ever providing reimbursement to the states.
Hadler also mentioned that he anticipates the EBT network might be disconnected at the retail level if the program does not receive federal funding. In such a scenario, individuals with remaining balances would still be unable to use their benefits.
Countries are determining how to respond
Over 20% of New Mexico's population receives SNAP assistance, costing approximately $90 million each month.
The prospect of those benefits being lost is causing concern in New Mexico, where over 20% of the population depends on them. “I believe it's a significant negative impact on New Mexicans, their communities, and the state's economy, which is without precedent," stated state Representative Nathan Small, a Democrat and head of the primary budget committee.
But he mentioned it's premature to determine if New Mexico could discover ways to reduce any damage if the benefits are discontinued.
We are following up," Charles Sallee, director of the Legislature's budget and accountability office, said to lawmakers during a hearing on Wednesday, "to confirm if food stamps are truly out of funds or if this is merely a strategy the administration is using in the broader negotiation.
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families instructed counties and Native American tribes to stop processing new SNAP applications as of Wednesday. Additionally, the state was getting ready to inform recipients on October 21 that benefits would not be provided for November, unless there are any changes.
"A break in receiving food aid can be highly disruptive—perhaps even catastrophic—for the lives of Minnesota families," said Tikki Brown, the department commissioner, during the update to local officials.
Other SNAP adjustments are beginning to take effect
The government shutdown is not the only factor that might limit access to SNAP.
The comprehensive policy and tax legislation that Congress enacted and Trump approved in July also mandateschanges to the programAdults who have children aged 14 to 17 will no longer be exempt from meeting work requirements to qualify for benefits, and individuals between the ages of 55 and 64 will also not be exempt.
Those guidelines are currently active, and certain individuals may start experiencing a loss of benefits at the beginning of January.
Another adjustment to the law is expected in the coming years. Beginning in October 2026, states will be responsible for covering three-fourths of the administrative expenses. The following year, states that have higher error rates in benefits will be required to cover part of the benefit costs.
Although Congress might have the ability to alter certain policies, simply restarting government operations will not bring about those changes.
___
Reporters from the Associated Press, Susan Haigh based in Hartford, Connecticut, and Steve Karnowski located in Minneapolis, helped prepare this article.
___
This narrative has been updated to reflect that the warnings were reversed in 2015 prior to Congress preventing a government shutdown. A previous version stated the warnings were reversed during a shutdown. There was no shutdown in 2015.