The Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website warning that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits won't be issued on Nov. 1.
"Bottom line, the well has run dry," reads the notice, which also blames Democrats for the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers remain at a stalemate on finding a government funding solution. The Senate has continued to fail to advance bill that would reopen the government until Nov. 21. The House remains out of session next week.
USDA says it won’t issue SNAP benefits on Nov. 1
The Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will not be issued on Nov. 1 amid the government shutdown, saying “Bottom line, the well has run dry.”
SNAP, often referred to as "food stamps," serves roughly 42 million low-income Americans.
SNAP has traditionally been entirely federally funded, but is administered by states. That means the shutdown's impact on SNAP and when benefits will start to dry up will vary by state.
The message at the top of the USDA blames Democrats for the funding lapse, saying they “can continue to hold out for healthcare 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.”
Democrats have said they won’t vote for a continuing resolution to fund the government and end the shutdown until the Republican-controlled Congress agrees to extend the pandemic era Affordable Care Act subsidies.