As the U.S. government shutdown stretches toward a month, food banks nationwide are preparing for a surge in need if Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits stop on November 1. Leaders warn that losing support for nearly 42 million Americans could trigger a public health crisis amid already rising demand.
The Llano Food Pantry in central Texas has watched weekly clients climb from 15–20 four years ago to about 100 today, a rise volunteers link to higher grocery costs. “Just a steady increase,” said Mary Ann Edwards. “They come in, they’re embarrassed — ‘I never thought I would be in this position.’” The pantry — part of the Central Texas Food Bank — primarily serves young families, people with disabilities, and older adults, and volunteers say they currently see few SNAP recipients. If benefits stop, Edwards expects “a bunch of new people coming in.”
SNAP, the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program, aids roughly 1 in 8 U.S. residents and typically costs about $8 billion a month, according to NPR’s reporting. With Congress still deadlocked, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has said no federal food aid will be issued on November 1 unless lawmakers act, placing nearly 42 million people at risk of a lapse.
‘Catastrophic need for food’
Central Texas Food Bank CEO Sari Vatske said food banks cannot make up for a halt in benefits. “The average household that we see receives about $350 per month, which roughly translates to about $44 million worth of SNAP benefits that will be gone from families,” she said. “There is no way that we alone can make up for a $44 million food budget shortfall.” As demand rises, she added, “the helpers need help.”
In New Mexico — where about 21% of residents use SNAP, the highest rate nationally, per USDA data — Roadrunner Food Bank’s Jason Riggs warned a cutoff would be a “public health crisis.” SNAP’s scale, he noted, dwarfs the charitable network: “SNAP can provide nine times the amount of meals as the entire nationwide food bank network.”
Political scramble
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, has introduced the Keep SNAP Funded Act to ensure benefits continue during a shutdown. As of this week, the bill has ten Republican co-sponsors and one Democrat, Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, but leaders have not committed to a vote.
Meanwhile, more than two dozen Democratic attorneys general and three governors have sued the Trump administration over the suspension of November benefits, arguing USDA is unlawfully withholding available contingency funds. Even if Washington resolves the standoff before November 1, experts and administrators caution it could still take several days for states to receive funds and for benefits to load onto recipients’ cards.
Public frustration appears bipartisan. In focus groups conducted for the Engagious Swing Voter Project, many participants blamed both parties for the stalemate, with one saying, “It’s both of their faults. They don’t care about us.”