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Your browser does not support the audio element. WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., says the Department of Agriculture is right not to use contingency funding to support the nation's leading nutrition assistance program as millions of Americans prepare to lose food benefits at week's end. Boozman's remarks to reporters on Tuesday followed the department's recent warning to state agencies about suspending allotments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, citing the nearly monthlong federal government shutdown as the reason. According to the Department of Agriculture, around 41.7 million Americans -- including 240,000 Arkansans -- receive benefits through SNAP for purchasing food. The Department of Agriculture currently covers the benefit costs in full. State agencies, such as the Arkansas Department of Human Services, oversee the program and bear a portion of administrative expenses. The federal government spent nearly $100 billion on the program during fiscal 2024. Congress appropriates funding for SNAP through the annual appropriations process, but the legislative body failed to pass a spending measure funding many government services before the current fiscal year started on Oct. 1. Government agencies were forced to halt many services at the shutdown's start. The federal government, however, had allocated dollars for October SNAP benefits in September ahead of the funding lapse. The Arkansas Department of Human Services sent out a notice on Oct. 22 warning SNAP participants of a "possible delay or disruption" in November benefits because of the government shutdown. "What we need to do is end the shutdown, and we need to quit holding people that are in very difficult situations hostage," Boozman, of Rogers, told reporters at the U.S. Capitol. Boozman leads the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, which has legislative jurisdiction over matters involving nutrition programs. He additionally serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate committee responsible for drafting spending measures each year. The Department of Agriculture has rejected using more than $5 billion in contingency funds to support SNAP in November, arguing it does not have the legal authority to use this money for benefits. Yet the agency's shutdown contingency plan mentioned congressional intent to continue SNAP during the shutdown "since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds" to support operations. "These multi-year contingency funds are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year," the plan further stated. The Department of Agriculture's funding lapse plan was later removed from the agency's website. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the White House is using "hungry kids, hungry parents, (and) hungry veterans as hostages" by opting not to fund SNAP benefits next month. "Donald Trump should reverse course immediately and allow these emergency funds to go through to spare working families from hunger and needless suffering," Schumer said. "What the administration is doing -- ordering the U.S. Department of Agriculture not to use emergency funds to keep SNAP afloat -- is an act of cruelty." Boozman said his understanding of the reserve is that the department hesitates to tap into these dollars except for emergencies, such as assistance for people affected by natural disasters. "You can't just come up with money once you spend it," he said. Regarding the Department of Agriculture's initial shutdown plan, Boozman said he believes the department realized it would be better not to use the contingency funding during the government shutdown except for "its intended purpose." "I think they actually looked at it and saw that would be a problem," he said. "They were initially very supportive of trying to figure this out, and I think they're still trying to figure it out." Democratic leaders in 25 states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture, the Office of Management and Budget, and Trump administration officials on Tuesday over the decision against using the contingency funding. The plaintiffs argue the federal government is legally required to continue supporting SNAP, even amid the government shutdown. Boozman was not surprised by the lawsuit. "I think that's appropriate, if somebody wants to sue," he said. "But I think the USDA has a strong argument because, again, you just don't replace those dollars. Once they're spent, they're spent." Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and 10 other senators are pushing a bill to fund SNAP during the government shutdown. Boozman said he is not backing Hawley's legislation at this time, noting the funding lapse has caused similar problems in other government programs. A separate nutrition assistance program -- the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children -- has enough funds to operate through mid-November. The Arkansas Department of Health manages related services with federal support. Around 65,000 Arkansans participate in WIC, which offers food benefits, breastfeeding help and other health resources to low-income families.
