42 Million Americans at Risk as SNAP Benefits Halted by Government Shutdown


Workers distribute groceries at La Colaborativa’s food pantry in Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S., October 29, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

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	A federal worker moves through the food distribution line at an event giving food to federal workers affected by the shutdown in Hyattesville, Md., on Oct. 21, 2025. (Tyrone Turner/WAMU)
	Shutdown Standoff Threatens to Leave 42 Million Americans Without Food Assistance Li Haung - National-Politics Tell Us USA News Network WASHINGTON - The United States government shutdown entered its 30th day on Thursday, October 30, 2025, with food stamp benefits poised to halt for millions of Americans this weekend as the political impasse continues. Government funding expired at midnight on September 30, 2025, marking one of the longest federal shutdowns in U.S. history. The shutdown could become the longest on record if it continues, surpassing the 35-day lapse that ended in January 2019 during Trump's first term. The stalemate centers on disagreements over healthcare subsidies and government funding legislation, with both parties at an impasse. President Donald Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster so that the Republican majority can bypass Democrats and reopen the federal government. According to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, 45 percent of U.S. adults say Trump and the GOP are mainly responsible for the shutdown. The most pressing concern as the shutdown continues is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to roughly 42 million Americans, or about one in eight people nationwide. Recipients receive an average of $187 a month on a prepaid card. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, said in a memo on Sunday, October 27, 2025 that no benefits will be issued on November 1. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told CBS News that the Trump administration doesn't have the legal authority to keep food assistance flowing during the government shutdown, and it would cost about $9.2 billion to fully fund SNAP next month. A group of more than two dozen states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, October 29, 2025, seeking to maintain funding of SNAP benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown, filed four days after the Trump administration said it would not use $6 billion in Congressionally-appropriated emergency funding. Despite there being an emergency contingency fund of roughly $5 billion, the USDA argued that the emergency funding was not "legally available." This has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, who point out that similar emergency measures were used during previous shutdowns. In a potentially significant development, a federal judge on Thursday, October 30, 2025 indicated she would probably order the Trump administration to use reserves to partially fund food assistance for about 42 million Americans in November, potentially delaying a complete cutoff in benefits during the government shutdown. States across the country are scrambling to respond to the crisis. Officials in Connecticut, Guam, Louisiana, Virginia, and Vermont have found ways to fund the program from anywhere from a few days into November to the whole month. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would deploy National Guard troops to assist food bank operations and fast-track $80 million to keep the state's food banks stocked, while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is providing $30 million in state funding to support 16 million meals. Some states are advising recipients to use their remaining food stamps wisely, and food pantries are urging families to prepare a "plan B" if federal benefits are paused. The shutdown continues to affect federal workers, air travel, and national parks. Hundreds of thousands of people are missing paychecks as the impasse extends into another week, and there have been 211 staffing shortages reported in air traffic control since the start of the shutdown, more than four times the number reported on the same dates last year. As Saturday's November 1, 2025 deadline, millions of vulnerable Americans face uncertainty about their ability to afford food in the coming weeks, while political leaders remain deadlocked over a path forward to reopen the government.