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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has accused Senate Democrats of voting “12 times to not fund” Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as the multiweek government shutdown continues. The federal government has been shut down for nearly a month after Congress could not come to an agreement on a funding bill. A funding bill passed the House, but stalled in the Senate, where it must clear the 60-vote filibuster to advance. Republicans currently control the Senate by a 53-47 margin, and only two Democratic senators have supported the temporary funding bill. Democrats have said they will not support the bill because it does not address their concerns about health care subsidies, specifically those established in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), that are set to expire at the end of the year. The shutdown extending into November would have critical implications for SNAP Benefits starting November 1. Tens of millions of Americans would not be paid benefits on time due to a lack of funding. Democrats and Republicans have cast blame toward each other for not taking steps to secure the program’s funding. Newsweek has reached out to Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for comment. The USDA website displays a banner blaming Democrats for the expiration of SNAP. “Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. 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,” the website reads. This USDA is one of several federal agencies that have displayed messages seeking to blame Democrats for the shutdown. The administration has faced criticisms over potential Hatch Act violations in its use of the messaging. The message is a direct reference to the fact that Democrats have declined to vote for the temporary funding bill that would restore SNAP benefits. There have been 13 votes on the bill as of Tuesday afternoon and only two Democrats—Senators Catherine Cortez-Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania—have voted in favor of the bill. The others continue to hold out while seeking a compromise on ACA subsidies. Both Democrats and Republicans have sought to cast blame on each other as the risk of delay to SNAP benefits grows. Republicans have accused Democrats of declining to vote for the funding bill as the reason why the benefits will expire, but Schumer, a New York Democrat, has said that the Trump administration is to blame. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference on October 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) In remarks on the Senate floor, Schumer accused President Donald Trump of ordering USDA to “rip up its own contingency plan” on SNAP benefits. “Let’s be clear about the facts. There is somewhere around five billion dollars in emergency funds that could be used right now to ensure parents and kids don’t go hungry when SNAP runs out this Saturday. The USDA said weeks ago that contingency funds were ‘available to fund participant benefits,’” Schumer said. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that SNAP funds must be appropriated by Congress, so the contingency funds are not legally available. “The best way for SNAP benefits to be paid on time is for the Democrats to end their shutdown,” Johnson said in a press conference this week. Twenty-five states on Tuesday sued the Trump administration over the SNAP funding. The lawsuit alleges that USDA has access to billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funding it has “refused” to use. A statement from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who is co-leading the lawsuit, reads, “It is clear the federal government is making a deliberate, illegal and inhumane choice not to fund the crucial SNAP program.” It is accurate that Democrats have voted against the funding bill that would include SNAP funding, even as they have pointed to opportunities for alternative funding mechanisms for the program until a deal is reached. Learn more about Newsweek Fact Check
