As the government shutdown drags into late October, SNAP funding is in jeopardy.
As the nation’s largest food safety net, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program helps 42 million low-income Americans afford groceries. While a pre-shutdown memo from the US Department of Agriculture says the program has enough in the bank to fully distribute this month’s checks, a longer shutdown could mean beneficiaries could see smaller benefit amounts next month.
“If the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits,” Acting SNAP Head Ronald Ward said in a letter to regional program directors. The letter, which is dated October 10, was seen by Business Insider.
Ward said the program is working on a “contingency plan,” and directed states to delay sending their regular record of eligible SNAP households to vendors, which would give the program flexibility to delay or pause benefits next month if needed.
SNAP costs about $100 billion each year in federal funds to operate — which translates to monthly checks of roughly $25 to $1,700, depending on a household’s income and number of members.
Some states have higher SNAP enrollment than others. Data collected by the US Department of Agriculture shows that about 12% of Americans were receiving benefits as of August 2025.
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Stakes are high for low-income Americans
A disruption to SNAP funding could have devastating impacts for low-income individuals. The money can’t be used to buy household goods, but it’s often a lifeline to families that need a boost to afford essential groceries. The program’s qualification threshold follows the federal poverty line — which is about $15,000 annually for a single person — but varies slightly by state.
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“We still have birthdays to celebrate,” Judith Murray, a parent who receives $1,174 in monthly SNAP for her seven-person family, previously told BI. “We still have Thanksgiving to do and other holidays. When you see me out there buying a birthday cake with my SNAP benefit card, just try to understand that I don’t want to let my little ones down any more than you do.”
The White House announced last week that it will funnel tariff revenue to bridge funding gaps for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) during the shutdown. The Trump administration has not made a similar commitment for SNAP and did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
When the shutdown ends, beneficiaries can still expect SNAP changes. President Donald Trump’s spending plan, which he signed into law in July, will reduce funding for federal nutrition aid like SNAP by nearly $200 billion over the next decade. The plan will also require nondisabled adults without dependents to fulfill work requirements until they reach age 64 to qualify for aid, up from the current cutoff age of 54. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that over 2 million Americans could lose SNAP coverage with this adjustment.
With Senate Republicans and Democrats still in a stalemate over healthcare funding, it’s unclear when the government will reopen. The longest-ever shutdown in 2018 lasted 35 days. At the time, SNAP avoided a lapse in benefits by paying funds early, causing a longer-than-usual gap between checks. It’s unclear if the program will adopt the same strategy in 2025.
Money for other safety net programs, like Medicaid and Social Security, are funded separately from SNAP and will be distributed as normal.
