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Already, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are on furlough or working without pay across the country. Now, some key benefits programs are set to be hit. By Nathaniel Minor The Minnesota Star Tribune October 29, 2025 at 9:33PM A woman with a child gathered groceries at The Open Door food shelf Monday October 27, Eagan, MN. Minnesota counties are informing residents receiving food aid and other federal benefits that they won't be able to get SNAP, WIC and other funds in November if the government shutdown continues. The lack of federal benefits hits Greater Minnesota residents particularly hard as there are fewer nonprofits and local funding to make up the difference. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune) Crucial government programs that feed families and heat homes are among those that will start to run out of money on Nov. 1 as the federal government shutdown drags on. Democrats in the U.S. Senate have refused to vote for a spending plan that would reopen the government, demanding that Republicans extend health insurance subsidies that would hold down the cost of plans offered through the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have declined to negotiate on that point, saying the government should be reopened first. In the meantime, the effects of the shutdown are trickling down to more Minnesotans. Already, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are on furlough or working without pay across the country. Now, some key benefits programs are set to be hit including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which subsidizes heating costs, and the early childhood education program Head Start. Here’s what we know about the potential impacts in Minnesota. State will lose tens of millions in SNAP payments The Trump administration has signaled it won’t fund SNAP and other food program payments in November. The state would have received $73 million in federal funding to feed more than 440,000 Minnesotans, a majority of which live in greater Minnesota. Starting Saturday, residents on SNAP won’t receive any more benefits. Minnesota officials announced Monday they would kick in $4 million to community food shelves throughout the state, but many counties and communities will have to rely on other donations to get meals to those in need. “We’re going to really need to share food in ways that we haven’t thought about before,” said Sophia Lenarz-Coy, director of The Food Group, a statewide nonprofit. “Food shelves are not going to be able to be the only solution.” In other states, some Head Start programs have already sent notices that they will have to shut down without federal funding, the Associated Press reported. Some 134 programs that take care of 59,000 children nationwide will not receive federal money due Nov. 1 if the government does not reopen, the National Head Start Association said. More programs would be affected if the shutdown continues into December. If Minnesota’s state funding runs out before the federal government reopens, there’s a risk of a “hard shutdown,” Gratke said. Programs in the state fear that staff, who already have high turnover since COVID, would leave for more stable jobs, making it incredibly difficult to “start back up again” and rebuild community trust even after federal funding is restored. Jenny Berg, Trey Mewes and Jp Lawrence of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story. Nathaniel Minor Reporter Nathaniel Minor is a reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune. See More
