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

Recipients of SNAP food assistance might not receive their benefits for November if the government shutdown persists.

Recipients of SNAP food assistance benefits across the country face a looming deadline: Come Nov. 1, their cards may not get refilled because of 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 were largely uninterrupted over the past three weeks because funding for October was allocated to states before the shutdown began on Oct. 1.

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

Many states have announced that they plan to suspend SNAP benefits if the shutdown continues into next month. That could upend people’s ability to buy food on an unprecedented scale — the program has not lapsed during any government shutdown in recent history.

New concerns about food assistance programs amid government shutdown02:30As Nov. 1 approaches, some state leaders are recommending that people turn to food banks or use their remaining benefits to buy non-perishable items.