SNAP recipients told to buy shelf-stable food as funding deadline looms

Recipients of SNAP food assistance benefits across the country are facing a looming deadline: On November 1, their cards may not be reloaded due to the government shutdown in Washington.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves nearly 42 million people each month, allocates money to states on a monthly basis. Benefits have been largely uninterrupted over the past three weeks as funding for October was allocated to states before the shutdown began on October 1.

But in an Oct. 10 letter to the state SNAP agency and regional directors, the Agriculture Department warned that there would not be enough funds to pay full SNAP benefits — also known as food stamps — in November if the shutdown persists.

Many states have announced plans to suspend SNAP benefits if the shutdown continues next month. This could upend people’s ability to buy food on an unprecedented scale – the program has never been interrupted during any government shutdown in recent history.

As November 1 approaches, some state leaders are recommending that citizens turn to food banks or use their remaining benefits to purchase nonperishable items.

“If you have accumulated SNAP benefits in previous months in your account, use those funds now to purchase shelf-stable foods that can last through November and beyond,” the Arkansas Department of Human Services says on its website.

But food banks say it will be impossible to fill the gap.

“There’s no way our charitable food network or the food system in this country can provide this much food overnight or quickly. It’s an impossible task,” said Catherine D’Amato, CEO of the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Her organization is already receiving calls from people asking where to go to feed their families, she said. D’Amato estimated that suspending SNAP benefits would create a deficit of up to 56 million meals in Massachusetts in November.

At least one state, Pennsylvania, has already stopped paying SNAP benefits. The state announced that “beginning October 16, SNAP benefits will only be paid after the federal government shutdown ends and until funds are released to the PA.”

Texas, meanwhile, said next month’s SNAP benefits would not be paid if the shutdown continues past October 27. And in Wisconsin, SNAP recipients received a letter this week informing them that even their remaining funds from October may not carry over.

“Benefits may not be available in November,” the letter states. “This may include funds remaining on your card at the end of October. You may want to use your benefits to stock up on food before the end of October.”

The state treasurers of Oregon and Massachusetts said on a press call Thursday that their states do not have contingency plans for SNAP if the federal government does not provide the funding. State budgets cannot afford to cover the full cost of social benefits, they added.

“At a time when the cost of shopping continues to rise, SNAP makes the difference between having enough and going hungry,” said Elizabeth Steiner, Oregon State Treasurer. “This decision by the federal government constitutes an absolute abdication of its responsibility to families in Oregon and across the United States who are struggling to make ends meet.”

She added that “to date, every administration, Republican or Democratic, has understood that feeding Americans is a fundamental responsibility of the federal government.”

In response to questions about SNAP funding, an Agriculture Department spokesperson framed the issue as an inflection point for Democrats: “Continue to defend health care for illegal immigrants or reopen the government so that mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP benefits.” »

Amid the shutdown’s stalemate, congressional Democrats are holding out for some health care provisions, including an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits. Under federal law, these credits, as well as other forms of federal health care, do not extend to immigrants who reside in the United States illegally.

Democrats and Republicans will need to reach agreement on a spending package in order to reopen the government.

WIC, which provides free food to low-income pregnant women, moms and children under 5, is also at risk of a funding shortfall in November due to the shutdown. Earlier this month, the Department of Agriculture used tax revenue to allocate $300 million to keep the program — known in its entirety as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — afloat. However, many states fear that funding could run out by the end of October.

WIC and SNAP participants use preloaded electronic cards to purchase food at participating grocery stores. For many low-income individuals and families, these benefits are the only way to afford basic necessities like milk, eggs, grains and vegetables.

“I worry that 16 million children are going home after school or being at home with their guardian, and there is no lunch or dinner,” said Christy Gleason, policy director of Save the Children, an aid organization. She added: “A parent or guardian may go without it so the child can [eat].”