Overview
- Roughly 41–44 million people would miss their monthly benefits after the shutdown exhausted federal SNAP funding, according to USDA notices.
- At a Boston hearing, Judge Indira Talwani indicated she is likely to require the use of emergency reserves, and Newsweek reported any ruling could be nationwide.
- A coalition of 25 states and Washington, D.C., sued to compel use of contingency funds, which the administration says are restricted to disasters and insufficient for full benefits.
- States moved limited stopgaps as uncertainty grew, with New York declaring an emergency and raising total aid to about $106 million and Louisiana, New Mexico, Vermont and Virginia announcing targeted backstops for residents or food banks.
- The program’s contingency reserve is about $5 billion versus an estimated $8–9 billion needed for a month of benefits, while schools and food banks are bracing for increased demand even as school meal reimbursements continue.