The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that if the federal government shutdown continues, it will suspend SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) payments starting November 1st.
On its website on the 27th, the USDA stated, “Senate Democrats have rejected the food assistance program budget bill 12 times,” and “With funding currently depleted, SNAP benefits will no longer be paid starting November 1st.”
The notice also argued, “Rather than insisting on funding for health insurance and gender reassignment surgery for undocumented immigrants, Democrats should reopen the government so that mothers, babies, and vulnerable populations can receive essential nutritional support.”
This notice comes after the Trump administration decided not to use the approximately $5 billion emergency reserve fund. SNAP is a core welfare program that approximately one in eight Americans rely on to purchase food.
SNAP is the largest food assistance program in the United States, with approximately 42 million people receiving benefits. If the USDA’s SNAP payments are suspended in November, low-income families will face a sharp decline in their ability to purchase food.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are urging USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to tap emergency funds to continue SNAP payments in November.