Food Benefits Set to Cease for 41 Million Throughout Prolonged Federal Shutdown
USDA officials declared recently that SNAP funds from a major federal social assistance programs are not going out next month because of the continuing federal closure.
Impasse Persists Through Its Third Week
The funding lapse lasted three and a half weeks at the time of the statement, coming after calls from over 200 House Democrats pushing the USDA to utilize reserve accounts to cover next month's benefits.
“The reality is, funds are depleted,” officials announced. “At this time, no payments will be distributed” on 1 November.
Millions Affected
More than 41 million individuals count on the regular assistance, per official statistics. Some regions, including one southwestern state, use of SNAP is as high as 21% of residents.
A memo obtained by a major news agency revealed that USDA officials decided against using emergency reserves to cover next month's assistance.
Political Stalemate
Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked over how to fund and reopen federal agencies.
A statement from the head of a budget research center suggested that federal leadership had chances to act sooner to ensure continuous assistance.
“It could have, and should have made moves weeks ago to be prepared to access these resources,” the comments added. “Instead, it may choose not to use them to secure political leverage” as conservative leaders work to pressure Senate Democrats to vote for a funding package to restart the federal government.
States Prepare
State leaders from multiple regions activated emergency protocols this week to free up resources for hunger relief expecting food benefits expiring in November.
