The government shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, became the longest in U.S. history. A budget deadlock between the parties caused widespread disruptions affecting everyday Americans. With a deal reached to reopen the government, it’s important to examine the impact the shutdown has had on families.
While approximately 750,000 federal employees are on unpaid leave, over 42 million people – more than 12% of the population – have not received their November food benefits. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, quite literally prevents children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and entire families from going hungry. Even a short delay in distributing these benefits can, and will, have a staggering impact on the health and well-being of countless Americans.
SNAP is a crucial program that supports low-income families. In a first-world country like the United States, food security should be a human right, yet the government shutdown has put this in jeopardy. It’s caused the first-ever freeze on the benefits since the program began more than six decades ago.
Every state depends on SNAP and the food security it provides. Many have stepped up to address the loss of such critical food assistance, but each state’s ability to do so will have an end date.
Why Is SNAP a Crucial Program?
About 86% of SNAP recipients are those in households with income at or below the poverty line. Those who use it aren’t gaming the system. Many recipients have two or three jobs and still struggle to afford basic necessities. People who use SNAP benefits must budget every dollar they spend because they’re already stretched to the limit. While the program helps them feed their families, they still need to be frugal.
SNAP does not cover items like alcohol or tobacco. Instead, it allows parents and individuals in need to buy everyday grocery items, like fruits and vegetables, meats and other proteins, infant formula and baby food, milk and cheese, and even seeds and plants that can be used to grow food at home. Simply put, SNAP prevents tens of millions of Americans from going hungry.
Consider this: According to the Family Budget Calculator from the Economic Policy Institute, a family of two adults and two children in Atlanta would need to budget $1000 per month on food to attain a “modest, yet adequate standard of living”. But people living at or below the poverty line cannot achieve this standard of living – they can’t afford to feed their family unless SNAP is there to help.
The Effect of Lost SNAP Benefits
Losing SNAP, even for a week, means that if people pay for the same amount of food they usually have help buying, they’ll need to make tough decisions about what to forego. Other necessities they planned on purchasing this month, like a winter jacket or shoes that fit a growing child, will be unaffordable. Rent will be late, and utility bills won’t be paid. Late fees and interest will increase expenses in the coming months, putting additional stress on struggling families. Food banks and other support organizations are working to meet the increased needs, but there’s only so much they can do.
Even with the government shutdown coming to an end, the suffering of low-income families will be immeasurable.
Two Judges Ordered the Trump Administration to Fund SNAP Benefits
On October 31, 2025, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration must use contingency funds to at least partially cover November SNAP benefits – payments that were supposed to be distributed on November 1. The judges determined that stopping SNAP payments was unlawful.
A few days later, President Trump caused some confusion and alarm after he posted that he would only release benefits when the shutdown ended. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which funds the program, has since confirmed it’ll use money from its emergency fund to deliver partial SNAP benefits.
The $4.65 billion the USDA is using will cover about 65% of what’s usually allotted for the food assistance program each month. While this announcement provided some relief for those who need support to afford food, warnings of delays in distributing the benefits have not fully eased concerns. Why? Officials have said it will take several weeks to provide the partial SNAP payments.
How to Feed Your Family Without SNAP Benefits
Most states have acted quickly to help alleviate the impact of SNAP benefits being delayed. They’ve tapped into their own emergency funds and have been working with food banks and other food assistance organizations to help prepare for the increased needs within communities.
Here are some helpful resources to help feed your family:
- Feeding America has a search function to find your local food bank. You just have to search by Zip Code to see what’s in your area.
- Hunger Free America offers the National Hunger Hotline (1-866-348-6479), and they have an online search option that finds food assistance based on an address.
- The Salvation Army has multiple programs to fight hunger, including food pantries, locations that provide hot meals, produce parcels, and more.
Churches, senior centers, and community centers are also resources that can help.
The power of community can help. If you’re struggling to put food on the table, know you are not alone. There are people and organizations that are fighting to support everyday Americans who need – and deserve – food security.
