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Nearly 39 million people stay fed through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Those 39 million people could be in real trouble if Donald Trump and Senate Republicans don’t agree to end their shutdown and reopen government. Food stamps will be funded through January, but February is a big question mark.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a $3 billion reserve to cover food stamps during a shutdown—but that’s not enough funding for a full month. There might be more of a cushion available, but the USDA isn’t talking. According to a nonprofit manager who works with state agencies that handle SNAP payments, “We can never really get a good handle on reserves. They're very tight-lipped about it.” And if the state agencies involved are left in the dark, the uncertainty is that much greater for the people who depend on SNAP to put food on the table every day.
So: Food stamps are covered through January, and maybe through February, but the USDA won’t say yes or no publicly. The same might be true of other food aid programs, like school meals. If the government doesn’t reopen and there’s a shortfall in February, it’s not clear how the cutbacks will be handled. How will benefits be reduced or eliminated? We don’t know! We don’t know if the USDA knows!
And Trump claims to be ready to keep this shutdown going for months or years.