Nutrition Assistance Expected to End for Over 40 Million During Prolonged Government Closure
The United States Department of Agriculture announced recently that SNAP funds under one of the country’s largest support systems won't be issued in November amid the persistent government funding lapse.
Impasse Persists Through Its Third Week
The federal closure had reached three and a half weeks at the time of the statement, which followed calls from over 200 Democratic representatives pushing the department to access contingency funds to cover the upcoming nutrition payments.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA stated. “Now, no payments will be distributed” on 1 November.
Widespread Impact
Tens of millions of people rely on these monthly payments, per the USDA. Some regions, including New Mexico, dependence on the program is as high as a significant portion of citizens.
Internal communications seen by journalists showed that USDA officials decided against using emergency reserves to cover next month's assistance.
Political Stalemate
Republicans and Democrats continue to disagree regarding how to fund and reopen federal agencies.
Remarks from the director at a budget research center indicated that the White House could have acted to prepare in advance to avoid interruption in payments.
“They had the ability and responsibility acted before now to get ready to access these resources,” the statement continued. “Instead, they might decide against it to secure political leverage” as conservative leaders work to push upper chamber Democrats to approve a funding package that would reopen government operations.
Emergency Measures
Executives in Louisiana and Virginia declared states of emergency this week to make money available for hunger relief expecting food benefits expiring next month.
