The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a halt to federal food aid starting November 1, escalating the stakes of the ongoing government shutdown, which is now the second-longest on record.
The decision means that benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which assists approximately 1 in 8 Americans with buying groceries, will not be issued, expanding the financial impact of the impasse to millions of the country’s most vulnerable families.
The new notice comes after the Trump administration decided against tapping into roughly $5 billion in contingency funds that could have kept SNAP benefits flowing into November.
USDA Cites Political Standoff
The USDA notice posted on its website explicitly blamed congressional opposition for the cutoff, stating that “Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).”
The message concluded with an ultimatum: “Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
The government shutdown began on October 1 due to a political deadlock over funding.
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Looming Crisis for Families
While the Republican administration took steps to ensure SNAP benefits were paid out for October, the impending November cutoff marks a critical expansion of the shutdown’s impact. The program serves an estimated 42 million people, including children, older adults, and people with disabilities, who rely on the monthly assistance for their basic nutritional needs.
Advocacy groups and state governments have expressed deep concern over the looming crisis. The loss of benefits, which average approximately $187 per person per month, could force low-income families to make impossible choices between buying food, paying rent, or affording medicine.
The pressure is now firmly on lawmakers to reach a funding agreement before the end of the month, or millions of American families will face an immediate hunger crisis as the political standoff continues to put essential social safety nets in jeopardy.
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