As the government shutdown continues, tens of millions of people who rely on the government for food assistance are set to see their benefits stop in November. The end of food assistance comes as Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked on proposals to reopen the federal government, and the Trump administration refuses to use emergency funds to pay for food assistance during the shutdown.

States prepare as USDA warns SNAP benefits to stop Nov. 1

A memo issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be made in November. The memo states that “due to Congressional Democrats’ refusal to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR), approximately 42 million individuals will not receive their SNAP benefits come November 1st.” This is one of several statements in the memo that blame Democrats for the lack of SNAP benefits. “If not for Congressional Democrats blocking government funding, November SNAP benefits would be paid on-time,” another line of the memo reads. The message also states that the administration will not use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits during the shutdown, claiming that these funds are meant for disasters such as hurricane relief and cannot legally be used “to cover regular benefits” through SNAP.

As Blavity previously reported, SNAP benefits are set to stop in November as the government shutdown continues; this is in addition to cuts in those benefits that were already set to go into effect based on Republican-backed legislation passed earlier this year. The contingency funds being withheld by the administration amount to $6 billion, which would cover most of the estimated $8 billion in November SNAP disbursements that are set to go unpaid. Various states are preparing to deal with the SNAP shortfall. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency and has pledged to provide funds for food assistance in the state, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom is mobilizing the National Guard to assist food banks serving residents of that state. The USDA memo has made it clear that states will not be reimbursed for using their own funds to cover the SNAP shortfall during the shutdown.

Critics question administration’s stance, motives on SNAP funding

Experts and organizations like the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) do not accept the administration’s rationale for not funding SNAP. Calling out U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ stance, former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) official and current CBPP president Sharon Parrott said in a statement that “Secretary Rollins’ claim that the Trump administration is unable to deliver November SNAP benefits during a shutdown is unequivocally false.” On the contrary, Parrott argues that “in fact, the administration is legally required to use contingency reserves — billions of dollars that Congress provided for use when SNAP funding is inadequate that remain available during the shutdown — to fund November benefits for the 1 in 8 Americans who need SNAP to afford their grocery bill.” The CBPP also posted a screenshot from a USDA memo, now deleted, that shows a plan to use the contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits in the event of a budget interruption.

A number of Democrats have called out the Trump administration for playing politics with SNAP benefits. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted that “My faith teaches me that food is lifegiving and meant to be shared. From the miracle of fishes and loaves to the Last Supper, we are called to feed and care for each other.” He added that “the Trump administration prohibiting SNAP benefits is wrong. We should be fighting hunger, not causing it.”

“Trump is throwing 15 million Americans off health care. He’s doubling premiums for 20 million Americans. Now, he’s refusing to use a $5 billion emergency SNAP fund to keep 16 million kids from going hungry,” tweeted Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT). “But the 1% keep $1 trillion in tax breaks. Oligarchy in action.”

With the government shutdown having lasted for nearly one month already, there are no signs that Democrats and Republicans are moving closer to a deal to end the budget impasse. Federal workers remain furloughed or forced to work without pay. And now, as the debate over the shutdown continues to be used for partisan politics, tens of millions of people will begin to lose access to assistance to help feed themselves and their families.