More than 42 million Americans will not get their food stamps next month. The government shutdown has stopped all SNAP benefit payments starting November 1, 2025. This is the first time ever that federal food aid has been completely cut off across the entire country.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) put a notice on their website. It says “the well has run dry” and no benefits will go out on November 1. The shutdown started on October 1 and is now the second-longest shutdown in history. President Trump’s administration decided not to use $5 billion in emergency money to keep food stamps going.
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins got letters from Democratic lawmakers asking her to use the emergency funds. But the USDA said no in a memo last Friday. The Trump administration says emergency money can only be used for disasters like hurricanes, not for regular payments.
They pointed to Hurricane Melissa as a reason to save that money. The bigger problem is that November needs $9 billion total for SNAP, and there’s not enough time to send smaller payments to each state.
One in eight Americans depends on SNAP to buy food every month. That’s over 41 million people who will have no food stamp money in November. Many people who get SNAP live in rural areas and Hispanic communities that voted for Republican candidates. Almost 7 million women, babies, and young children who get WIC benefits will also lose their help.
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Hunger was already getting worse before this shutdown happened. Food banks helped over 50 million people in 2023, but only 40 million people in 2019. That’s according to Feeding America, a national food bank group. High grocery prices and problems left over from COVID-19 make it hard for families to buy food. The Trump administration also cut food bank funding and made SNAP work rules stricter, which could push more people off the program.
Food banks across America are getting ready for huge crowds of hungry people. Reuters talked to nine food banks in eight different states. All of them said they will struggle to help everyone if SNAP stops. Food banks are already serving record numbers of families. Adding millions more people who just lost their food stamps could be too much for food pantries to handle.
Churches, food pantries, and community groups are the backup when government programs fail. But these groups get some federal money too, and some of that was cut. Rising hunger plus less federal help plus millions of new families needing food creates a really big problem for food assistance across America.
Dozens of Democratic attorneys general and governors plan to sue the Trump administration on Tuesday. That’s what Politico reported. They say the government must use emergency funds to stop 42 million Americans from losing food aid. The lawsuit will challenge the USDA’s claim that emergency money can only be used for natural disasters.
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Trump officials knew people would sue them over this decision. Politico says there are no real efforts at USDA to find other money to prevent the cutoff. Some Republican lawmakers whose voters will get hurt badly want a temporary fix. But Republicans in Congress can’t agree on what to do.
Senate Republicans are divided on whether to vote on a bill just for SNAP benefits. Many Republican senators blame Democrats for the shutdown. They say Democrats should vote for the spending bill the House passed last month. Democrats say Republicans control the White House and should end the shutdown.
If you get SNAP benefits, here’s what you need to do right now:
- Check your EBT card balance and use any leftover money from previous months
- Call local food banks and pantries in your area today
- Sign up children for free school meals at their schools
- Visit the USDA website every day to look for updates
- Download the Propel app or similar tools to track your EBT card
You should get your November benefits later once the shutdown ends and Congress approves funding. In past shutdowns, people got their missing benefits back eventually. But nobody knows when this shutdown will end or how long families will go without food help.
The Friday deadline is coming fast, and no deal is happening in Washington. Republicans and Democrats keep blaming each other while millions of families wonder how they’ll feed their kids. This isn’t just about budgets and politics. This is about whether children will have food to eat next week.
Food stamp programs exist to make sure nobody goes hungry in America. SNAP keeps families stable and children healthy. When benefits disappear, bad things happen right away. Communities will feel it within days as families run out of food and food banks run out of supplies.
The court cases and political fights will keep going, but families need food now. Reach out to churches, food pantries, and community centers. Stay informed by checking official government websites. Get ready for November to be very difficult. This has never happened before in American food assistance history, and everyone needs to prepare.
Food insecurity affects millions of American households right now. The federal government shutdown is making a bad situation much worse. SNAP recipients across the country are scared about how they’ll feed their families. Emergency food assistance from local charities will be critical in the coming weeks.
The benefit payments that families count on will not arrive on schedule. Nutrition assistance programs like SNAP and WIC help vulnerable people survive. When federal funding stops, state governments can’t fill the gap because these are 100% federal programs. The Trump administration’s decision not to tap contingency funds means millions of Americans will face immediate hardship.
Grocery stores will still accept EBT cards, but there won’t be any new money loaded onto them. Food pantries and hunger relief organizations are the only option for many families. This government impasse between Republicans and Democrats is hurting real people who need help buying food.
