SNAP Payments Expected to Expire for Over 40 Million Amid Ongoing US Government Shutdown

Federal agriculture authorities announced on Saturday that monthly food benefits under one of the country’s largest social assistance programs won't be issued in November amid the persistent federal closure.

Closure Continues Through Its Third Week

The government shutdown had reached its 25th day as officials revealed the news, which followed calls from over 200 Democratic representatives urging agriculture officials to access contingency funds to pay for the upcoming nutrition payments.

“Bottom line, resources are exhausted,” officials announced. “At this time, assistance will not be provided” starting next month.

National Consequences

Over 40 million Americans count on these monthly payments, as reported by the USDA. Various areas, like New Mexico, reliance on SNAP reaches a significant portion of citizens.

A memo obtained by journalists revealed that USDA officials chose not to tap contingency funding for the upcoming payments.

Legislative Deadlock

Lawmakers from both parties continue to disagree regarding how to fund and reopen government operations.

Remarks from the head of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities suggested that federal leadership could have acted to act sooner to ensure continuous assistance.

“They had the ability and responsibility acted earlier to make arrangements to access these resources,” the statement continued. “Conversely, it may choose not to use them to secure political leverage” as Republicans seek to push upper chamber Democrats to approve a spending bill to restart the federal government.

States Prepare

Governors in two affected states activated emergency protocols in recent days to make money available for hunger relief in anticipation of SNAP benefits not being issued next month.