Millions Face Halt to SNAP Benefits With Agriculture Department Blaming Senate Democrats

Federal officials have confirmed what nearly 30 states across the country have been preparing for over the past week — all food aid benefits will cease as the government shutdown continues.The halt to benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was confirmed in a partisan message posted on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website, in which the blame was placed squarely on Senate Democrats for voting 12 times “to not fund the food stamp program.”“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” reads the alert posted in a banner at the top of the USDA website. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.”In an unusual move by a sitting administration, the message continues by saying that Democrats in the Senate have reached an “inflection point” as the government shutdown approached the one-month mark.“They can continue to hold out for health care for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”The Trump administration has rejected a suggestion that it use nearly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep SNAP up and running.Democratic lawmakers recently called on the agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, to tap into contingency funds to help cover most of next month’s benefit payments.However, a USDA memo that emerged on Friday says that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” According to the document, these funds are designated specifically for purposes such as aiding individuals in disaster-stricken areas. The memo cited Hurricane Melissa, currently wreaking havoc in the Atlantic Ocean, as an example of why the money needs to be readily available.About 27 states have either stopped accepting new applicants or issued warnings to residents that the November disbursements have been delayed or halted.Nearly 3.5 million people in Texas were notified by state officials that their SNAP benefits totaling more than $614 million would be cut off in November if there was no end to the federal shutdown. Among those impacted in the Lone Star State would be 1.7 million children.A total of 1.9 million residents in Illinois were told they will lose their benefits in November if the shutdown persists. The state is unable to “backfill” approximately $350 million in federal funds, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Human Services.Other states are warning SNAP recipients to prepare for a potential halt in benefits. Arkansas and Oklahoma, for instance, are encouraging recipients to seek out food pantries and other organizations that provide food assistance.“The reality is, if they sat down to try to negotiate, we could probably come up with something pretty quickly,” a Democratic senator of Connecticut, Chris Murphy, said Sunday during an interview on CNN. “We could open up the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there wouldn’t be any crisis in the food stamp program.”

Millions Face Halt to SNAP Benefits With Agriculture Department Blaming Senate Democrats

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