Overview
- The USDA says November SNAP benefits will not be issued during the shutdown, a first for the 60‑year program that supports roughly 41.7–42 million people each month.
- U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani signaled she is likely to order the department to access contingency funds, indicating any ruling could apply nationwide.
- More than two dozen states and Washington, D.C., sued to compel use of the reserves, with plaintiffs arguing the USDA must deploy those funds and could draw on another pot they estimate at about $23 billion.
- Governors announced limited stopgaps: New York declared an emergency and directed $65 million to hunger relief, Oregon set a 60‑day food security emergency with $5 million for food banks, and Virginia moved to tap surplus funds to bolster aid.
- Food banks and retailers warned they cannot absorb the gap left by an $8–9 billion monthly program, predicting a surge in demand and lost revenue in low‑income communities if benefits lapse.