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U.S. officials are warning SNAP benefits could be delayed next month if Congress doesn’t approve a new spending bill. Here’s what to know about SNAP benefits as the government shutdown continues: SNAP benefits FILE - A shopper looks at a sales advertisement at a grocery store in West Milton, Ohio, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images The backstory: The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, is a federal program that provides food assistance to 40 million low-income people - meaning nearly 1 in 8 people receive the benefit each month. The money comes on prepaid cards that they can use for groceries. By the numbers: In the accounting year that ended on Sept. 30, 2024, SNAP cost just over $100 billion, including the half of state administrative costs covered by federal taxpayers. It provided an average of $187 a month to 41.7 million people. Government shutdown affecting SNAP Big picture view: The government has been shut down since Oct. 1. Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens. Why you should care: Because of the way SNAP is funded, it’s vulnerable to lose funding during the shutdown. RELATED: SNAP benefits will run out if government shutdown lasts into November, MN officials say What they're saying: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, sent letters on Oct. 10 to the state agencies that administer it telling them not to send certain files to the contractors that would clear the way for the EBT cards to be loaded at the start of November. Some states have also stopped approving new applications for SNAP. Additionally, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said this week on social media that funding for SNAP would run out come Nov. 1. State officials say a pause in benefits would be a blow to families and the broader economy. RELATED: Does Social Security stop in government shutdown? What to know What's next: It's possible that the government could find funding to keep the program going even if the shutdown continues, but at $8 billion a month, that would be a challenge. Meanwhile: Social Security and Medicaid are funded differently and are expected to continue paying benefits during the shutdown. The Source: Information in this article was taken from an Oct. 10 letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as reported by The Associated Press, and a tweet from Agriculture Secretary Rollins. Background information was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit.
