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The Trump administration's fight to limit food stamp funding during the federal shutdown has triggered a surge of demand at food banks nationwide as millions of Americans face uncertainty about how they will afford groceries. For the first time in the program's history, SNAP benefits were halted on November 1 due to the federal shutdown, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The pause left 42 million Americans, or one in eight households, without food assistance and triggered a surge in demand at food banks nationwide. SNAP typically costs about $9 billion a month. The Trump administration planned to cover only 65 per cent of November benefits using contingency funds, but U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell in Rhode Island ordered full funding by tapping agriculture reserves, a move critics called essential to protect food security. The administration appealed, arguing courts cannot appropriate funds, and on Friday the Supreme Court temporarily blocked McConnell's order, giving the White House more time to fight the mandate. As a result, full benefits remain uncertain, and partial payments promised by the USDA have yet to reach most households. The fallout has been immediate. Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief network, reported a sixfold spike in traffic to its food-bank locator, with more than 28,000 daily visitors seeking help. 'This situation is catastrophic,' said Monica Lopez Gonzales, the group's chief marketing and communications officer, told Fortune. 'Right now, 42 million people are having a hard time affording groceries, and their lives are being disrupted because their benefits have been disrupted.' Food banks across the country are seeing longer lines and empty shelves. 'The lines are getting longer, and the food is running out early,' Gonzales said. 'We see veterans, older adults, moms, and kids - everyone is stressed.' In New York City, the impact has been just as severe. 'SNAP is a critical lifeline for 1.8 million New Yorkers, and the lapse in funding - as well as the uncertainty about if and when funding will be restored - has left many of our neighbors wondering how they will feed their families,' Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest, told Daily Mail. The organization, which supplies food to about 400 soup kitchens and pantries, reported a surge in requests for additional food as lines grow longer. City Harvest distributed more than 40,000 pounds of extra food to 15 pantries this week and plans to deliver up to 150,000 pounds next week. The nonprofit expects to move over 1 million more pounds of food this November than last year to meet demand. 'We were prepared to scale up, but we can only sustain this response with additional support from the public,' Stephens said, urging donations, volunteers, and advocacy. The group has also hosted six pop-up distributions for federal workers who have gone weeks without paychecks - many seeking food assistance for the first time. Polling shows 83 per cent of affected households are skipping meals or buying less food, and 85 per cent are resorting to cheaper, less nutritious options. Nearly 50 million Americans already faced hunger before the shutdown, including 14 million children. 'SNAP is the first line of defense against hunger,' Gonzales said. 'When it's disrupted, every other part of the safety net shakes.' Feeding America is urging donations, advocacy, and volunteer support to help meet soaring demand. 'Anything that we do cannot replace SNAP,' Gonzales stressed. 'We need everyone - government, business, and communities - to work together so we can finally end hunger in America.
