• Federal food aid will not be issued starting November 1 due to ongoing government shutdown.
• The Trump administration will not use approximately $5 billion in contingency funds for SNAP benefits.
• The government shutdown, now the second-longest on record, began on October 1.
• Democrats and Republicans are at an impasse over negotiations to reopen the government.
• States are advising SNAP recipients to prepare for a stop in benefits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that federal food aid will not be distributed starting November 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown, which began on October 1 and is now the second-longest recorded. This decision raises significant concerns for families nationwide, particularly impacting those reliant on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps about 1 in 8 Americans purchase groceries. The USDA's notice states, “Bottom line, the well has run dry" and emphasizes the urgency for political resolution as the cutoff impacts many Americans in need, according to CBS News, Los Angeles Times, and South China Morning Post.

The Trump administration has refused to utilize approximately $5 billion in contingency funds that could have been employed to continue SNAP benefits into November. This funds can only be used in specific situations, such as disasters, as indicated by a USDA memo which cited Hurricane Melissa as a critical reason for retaining these funds for rapid mobilization, according to CBS News, Los Angeles Times, and South China Morning Post.

As the shutdown persists, bipartisan concerns regarding the cessation of SNAP benefits have been expressed by various states. Some states have pledged to maintain the flow of SNAP payments despite the federal halt, though legality remains uncertain since a USDA memo has indicated that they would not be reimbursed for covering the costs themselves. States like Arkansas and Oklahoma have urged recipients to prepare for potential disruptions by identifying food pantries and assistance groups, according to CBS News, Los Angeles Times, and South China Morning Post.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has accused the Republican Party, including President Trump, of failing to negotiate effectively to resolve the shutdown. He stated, “The reality is, if they sat down to try to negotiate, we could probably come up with something pretty quickly,” emphasizing the possibility of a rapid agreement to re-open the government and avert a crisis in the food stamp program, as mentioned in CBS News, Los Angeles Times, and South China Morning Post.