government shutdown food stamps

 

government shutdown food stamps

Partial U.S. Government Shutdown Enters Third Week, Food Assistance at Risk

The partial government shutdown entered its third week on Saturday with no resolution in sight. If federal operations are not restored before February, millions of Americans relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, may face disruptions to their benefits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which manages SNAP at the federal level, is one of the agencies without funding due to the shutdown. While SNAP is automatically renewed, Congress has not approved funding for the program beyond January. A temporary allocation of $3 billion has been made to support SNAP, but this amount is insufficient to cover all benefits for February.

In September 2018, the most recent month with available data, $4.7 billion in SNAP benefits were distributed nationwide. If the shutdown continues into March, SNAP will run out of funding entirely, posing a serious threat to food security for millions. In 2017, approximately 42 million Americans received SNAP benefits, according to the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Over 68% of recipients were in families with children, and more than 44% came from working households.

Some nutrition programs face even more immediate risks. The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are currently receiving no federal funding. According to the USDA, they can only continue operating at state and local levels using any remaining resources. In early 2018, around 7 million Americans received WIC benefits each month. WIC supports pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children under five who are at nutritional risk. By September 2018, nearly $5 billion had been distributed to states and territories through the program.

Households that depend on both SNAP and WIC could be especially impacted if the shutdown persists into February.

Child Nutrition Programs—such as School Lunch, School Breakfast, Child and Adult Care Feeding, Summer Food Service, and Special Milk—are expected to continue through February, according to the USDA. However, staffing for the Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees SNAP, WIC, and Child Nutrition Programs, has been reduced by 95% since the shutdown began.