SNAP Benefits ‘REFUSED’Amid Government Shutdown

By: Alvin H. Green IV

The Department of Agriculture will not tap into the government’s $6 billion dollar contingency fund to support food benefits if the shutdown continues past November 1st.

The SNAP benefit program is a federal initiative to help low income families pay for food, with most of these families using the funds for their daily groceries. Over 42 million Americans rely on these programs to feed themselves or their families every day, and the only ways to qualify for SNAP benefits are if you are living below the poverty line, are actively spending money on childcare, or have an elderly adult living with you who requires expensive medical care. 

With the holiday season only weeks away, many of our nation's most vulnerable citizens will have to make the hard choice between giving gifts or serving dinner.

“I just think it’s evil,” said Jai Dicken, a First Year Biology Major. “Why is the government fine with letting people starve when we have the money to help them? That’s cartoon villain levels of evil.”

In an official government memo, the Trump Administration said they would not use the contingency fund to support SNAP benefits because the program was originally designed for natural disasters and is not “legally available” to cover government shutdowns, blaming Congressional House Democrats entirely for the funding lapse. You can read the full memo by clicking here.

“The Administration is legally required to use contingency reserves…when SNAP funding is inadequate,” said Sharon Parrott, president of the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in an interview with CNN. She also called the Trump Admin’s claim that they are legally unable to deliver the funds “unequivocally false”.

Although some states, like Virginia, New York, and New Mexico plan to use state funds to keep benefit programs afloat through the shutdown, the White House has made it clear the money will “not be reimbursed,” according to Time Magazine. 

Democratic lawmakers have found it hypocritical that the government is content with funding programs that benefit the Administration's agenda, like Army, Navy, and Air Force pay, through the shutdown while disregarding benefits regarding food and healthcare.

Certain households could lose SNAP eligibility entirely starting in early 2026, due to a Republican Megabill signed in Trump’s first term. The bill will specifically affect the disabled, unlawful immigrants granted amnesty by the government, and homes without an elderly person. 

SNAP benefits will not be paid until the government shutdown ends.