'Uncharted territory': Ongoing shutdown threatens food aid for 42 million people

States are preparing for a spike successful request astatine nutrient banks, for illustration this 1 wrong a religion successful Eagle River, Alaska, if nutrient assistance benefits done nan Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aliases SNAP, are trim disconnected aliases disrupted because of nan national authorities shutdown. Mark Thiessen/AP hide caption

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Mark Thiessen/AP

In conscionable complete a week, nearly 42 cardinal people successful nan U.S. who get federal food assistance are successful threat of seeing their benefits vanish because of nan ongoing national shutdown.

About 1 successful 8 U.S. residents get an mean of $187 a period done nan Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aliases SNAP. One of those group is Shari Jablonowski. The 66-year-old widow, who lives extracurricular Pittsburgh, is bracing to suffer nan $291 successful nutrient assistance her abnormal nephew gets each month. She raised her now-adult nephew and 2 nieces arsenic her own, and moreover without this looming crisis, her fund is simply a tightrope.

"This month, I could not spend to salary … anything, state aliases electric," she says. Instead she paid her monthly car payment, since she needs to thrust to doctors' appointments, sojourn her mother, and 1 niece uses nan car to get to work.

If her nephew's nutrient use disappears successful November? "I americium very concerned I will not person heat," she says. It would besides ruin Thanksgiving.

SNAP, formerly known arsenic nutrient stamps, is nan country's largest anti-hunger program.

"The immense mostly are children, moving people, older Americans, veterans and group pinch disabilities," Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, says of nutrient stamp recipients. "If nan SNAP programme shuts down, we will person nan astir wide hunger suffering we've had successful America since nan Great Depression."

For astir people, SNAP is nan only money they get directly. Cash use was dramatically reduced successful nan 1990s, Berg notes, and Medicaid payments spell straight to doctors, hospitals and supplier companies."The only point that really helps mean income and low-income Americans meet their basal monthly expenses is nan SNAP program. And that's why it's truthful vital, not only successful position of fighting hunger, but conscionable keeping tens of millions of Americans afloat each month," he says.

In addition, a abstracted nutrition programme for 7 cardinal pregnant women and caller parents is besides astatine consequence of running retired of money. The Trump management tapped $300 cardinal successful tariff funds to support WIC — nan Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children — afloat, but it's expected to tally retired wrong a fewer weeks. Some states opportunity they'll help capable that backing gap, but not each person nan resources for that.

There's unit connected USDA to support backing SNAP

Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has warned that SNAP backing will tally retired connected Nov. 1, and USDA has told states that payments are connected clasp "until further notice."

The agency blames Democrats, who opportunity they won't ballot to extremity nan shutdown unless Republicans work together to widen taxation credits for nan Affordable Care Act to support wellness security premiums from skyrocketing.

In a connection to NPR a USDA spokesperson said, "We are approaching an inflection constituent for Senate Democrats. Continue to clasp retired for healthcare for illegals aliases reopen nan authorities truthful mothers, babies, and nan astir susceptible among america tin person timely WIC and SNAP allotments."

Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for nan Affordable Care Act.

Food assistance advocates opportunity USDA tin and should support backing SNAP. "SNAP still has billions of dollars successful what are called contingency reserves," says Katie Bergh, a elder argumentation expert astatine nan Center connected Budget and Policy Priorities, a non-partisan investigation and argumentation institute. That wouldn't screen nan full amount, but she says nan agency could legally transportation further funds, arsenic they've done for nan WIC nutrition program. In fact, Bergh argues USDA has a ineligible responsibility to money SNAP since it's an entitlement program.

Department officials did not respond to an NPR query astir whether location is specified a ineligible obligation.

The origins of U.S. nutrient benefits spell backmost to nan Great Depression. If backing does lapse adjacent month, Bergh says, "We would beryllium successful uncharted territory."

And for immoderate SNAP recipients it could beryllium double whammy. That's because galore will beryllium taxable to new activity requirements tied to nan benefit starting November 1 – nan aforesaid time their benefits mightiness end.

The activity requirements, passed by Congressional Republicans earlier this year, are expected to push 2.4 cardinal group disconnected nan program complete nan adjacent decade.

States and nutrient banks are scrambling to help

In a letter Thursday, nan U.S. Conference of Mayors besides urged USDA not to fto SNAP benefits beryllium disrupted, saying nan programme helps stabilize section economies.Each month, nan national authorities pays $8 cardinal successful SNAP benefits. The money is automatically added to a debit-like paper that recipients tin past usage astatine groceries, farmers markets and different places. More than 250,000 nutrient retailers count connected that income, says Berg pinch Hunger Free America.

It's not clear whether nan authorities will enactment successful clip to forestall SNAP benefits from ending. And if it does – but waits until nan past infinitesimal – it would return days to get nan benefits distributed to states and past onto people's spending cards.

Meanwhile, states are preparing for a spike successful request astatine food banks. Virginia, for example, declared a state of emergency and said it would supply nutrient benefits. Colorado's politician urged group to donate to nutrient banks, and California said it would nonstop National Guard troops to thief retired astatine nutrient banks, arsenic it did during nan COVID-19 pandemic.

But advocates opportunity moreover expanded nutrient kindness will obscurity adjacent dress up for nan nonaccomplishment of billions successful national funding.

Meanwhile, Shari Jablonowski struggles to deliberation really she'll header pinch a awesome spread successful her budget. She already visits nutrient pantries and plans to measurement that up. But "there's thing I tin do to make money," she says. "I'm not successful nan top of health."

For now, she's making large batches of crockery and freezing immoderate for later.