Copyright The Boston Globe
“It’s a total mess,” said Jeffrey Thielman, of the International Institute of New England, which serves thousands of refugees and immigrants, many of whom rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). “It’s no way to run a government,” he said. This shutdown differs from previous ones not just in length, but the sheer amount of often-contradictory information coming from different branches of government including federal officials, the courts, and local politicians. On Saturday, for example, SNAP recipients in Massachusetts saw money loaded onto their EBT cards only to wake up to news Sunday that states who distributed full benefits will face consequences, including cancellation of federal funds. In a late-night memo Saturday, the USDA wrote that states “must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025,” and threatened to pull federal funding for noncompliance. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey responded Sunday by threatening legal action against the Trump administration and assuring residents with nutrition benefits to keep spending it on food in the meantime. “Trump should be focusing on reopening the government that he controls instead of repeatedly fighting to take away food from American families,” she said. Attorney General Andrea Campbell echoed the sentiment. “My office will not let this administration continue to use Massachusetts residents’ lives as a political bargaining chip,” she said. “This chaos and confusion must stop. We’ll see them in Court.” Thielmansaid as the Nov. 1 cutoff for SNAP benefits neared, his nonprofit decided to set aside $150,000 to help buy grocery store gift cards for the group’s neediest clients. While some clients saw money come through over the weekend, Thielman worries about what happens if the federal government tries to claw it back. “We are feeling a lot of confusion,” he said. “We are trying to figure out how to proceed.” Confusion and anticipation are the only things people across mulitple sectors agree on about the unprecedented federal shutdown. Norman Boutin, 66, serves food every Sunday at a meal distribution site at Bouley Field in northern Rhode Island. Demand was high on Sunday, one week after he and other volunteers distributed 204 hot meals, a record in the 35 years Boutin said he’s been volunteering. A third of the residents in Central Falls, a city of 20,000 people, receive SNAP benefits, Boutin said. “It’s been a nightmare,” he said. “Politicians need to put their special interests aside and take care of the people.” Matthew Martin, regional manager of End Hunger New England, said the demand they’re seeing now is more than they’ve had in 15 years. In the days since SNAP benefits were taken away, the organization has fed 350,000 people, said Martin, whose group provides free meals to local food banks. The demand has increased from “a snowball to an avalanche,” he said, with volunteers scrambling to package enough meals for all the requests coming in. “Even if full SNAP benefits came back tomorrow, all these people who were jerked around the past 9 days would be in worse shape than they were before,” Martin said. “When it gets paused it’s a disaster, it’s not a small thing to have cut.” Air travel has become another casualty of the standoff in Washington over federal funding. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to cut flights by 10 percent by this Friday as more air-traffic controllers opt not to work without paychecks, a number that officials say could rise to 20 percent. There were 1,901 cancellations nationwide Sunday, up from 1,770 flights on Saturday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. Logan Airport in Boston Sunday logged 87 cancellations, and 287 delays , according to FlightAware’s tallies. As federal workers enter a third week without pay, other other key employees that keep passengers moving may soon stop working, said Mike Gayzagian, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2617, the union representing officers staffing security lines at Logan. Employees,, are “at a breaking point.” “Things are getting frustrating. People are resigning,” said Gayzagian, who said the union even set up its own food pantry this weekend behind security at Terminal C. “The issue is how many people are going to be able to stay in this job after missing nearly three paychecks.” Meanwhile, amid the chaos, the shutdown drags on, and travelers like United passenger Sabrina Isom, of New Jersey, are caught in the crosshairs. Isom woke up at 5 a.m. for her 6:25 a.m. flight from Boston to Newark. After twice boarding and deplaning, passengers were told the flight faced a five-hour delay due to air traffic congestion. Rather than wait until the new 3:15 p.m. departure estimate, Isom spent $377 on an Amtrak ticket and caught the Silver Line to South Station. “There’s no guarantee that the flight will even take off,” said Isom, 50. “At least I have options. People are still waiting to board that flight.” Material from the Associated Press was used in this report
