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Food assistance for more than 40 million Americans will stop in November as the government shutdown continues, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced, per BBC.
The suspension will affect recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps one in eight Americans buy groceries.
In a notice on its website, the USDA blamed Senate Democrats for the government shutdown, saying the department has exhausted its available funds due to the budget impasse. The agency confirmed it will not distribute November benefits without new congressional action.
"Bottom line, the well has run dry," the USDA notice reads.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration declined to use SNAP’s contingency fund, arguing the money must be reserved for “true emergencies,” such as natural disasters.
Democratic lawmakers condemned the administration’s decision.
“This is perhaps the most cruel and unlawful offense the Trump administration has perpetrated yet,” Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Angie Craig said in a joint statement, criticizing the president for “providing assistance to Argentina and building a new White House ballroom” during the shutdown.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), the contingency fund would only cover about 60 percent of one month's benefits. Still, House Democrats argued in a letter on Friday (October 24) that “significant funding remains” to cover most of November’s payments and urged Rollins to reallocate other USDA funds to fill the gap.
States typically administer SNAP with federal funding, but some have pledged to use their own money temporarily amid the freeze. The federal government has warned states that they will not be reimbursed for any such expenditures. In response, states and local agencies are working with food banks and charities to assist families.
The shutdown entered its 27th day on Monday (October 27), making it the second-longest in U.S. history.
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