Anywhere between 4.8 percent and 21.2 percent of each state’s population was on SNAP in 2024.
More than 41 million Americans will go without food stamps next month if Congress does not vote to reopen the government in time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated on Oct. 25.
With the government shutdown now well into its 25th day, Senate Republicans and Democrats remain at an impasse over expiring health care subsidies.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA wrote on its website. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.”
During fiscal year 2024, the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supported, on average, 41.7 million participants, or 12.3 percent of the U.S. population, every month. Anywhere between 4.8 percent and 21.2 percent of each state’s population was on SNAP in 2024.
The total spending for SNAP reached $99.8 billion that year, averaging out to $187.20 per participant per month. While the federal government fully funds the program, states contribute part of the costs of administering SNAP.
In a memo obtained by The Epoch Times on Oct. 24, the USDA stated that it can’t use agency emergency funds to keep the SNAP program running if Congress doesn’t vote to pass a funding agreement.
“SNAP contingency funds are only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits,” the memo reads. “The contingency fund is not available to support [fiscal year] 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists.”
The memo states that the money is used for emergencies such as “hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, that can come on quickly and without notice.”
That memo was met with criticism from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which pointed out that the agency is contradicting its now-deleted Sept. 30 “Lapse of Funding Plan” page, which can still be found in an archived version on the USDA website.
By Jacob Burg
