Food Benefits Set to Cease for 41 Million During Ongoing Government Closure
The United States Department of Agriculture declared this past weekend that nutrition assistance payments under one of the country’s largest support systems won't be issued during the coming month due to the ongoing federal closure.
Closure Continues Into 25th Day
The funding lapse lasted its 25th day as officials revealed the news, coming after appeals by more than two hundred Congressional Democrats urging the department to tap into emergency reserves to cover the upcoming nutrition payments.
“The reality is, funds are depleted,” the department confirmed. “Now, there will be no benefits issued” on 1 November.
Millions Affected
Over 40 million Americans count on the regular assistance, per federal data. Some regions, including one southwestern state, use of the program is as high as a significant portion of citizens.
Documents reviewed by Reuters revealed that the department decided against using contingency funding for November food benefits.
Political Stalemate
Congressional leaders remain deadlocked about the way to fund and reopen federal agencies.
Remarks from the head of a prominent policy organization suggested that the administration could have acted to prepare in advance to ensure continuous assistance.
“Officials were able and expected to made moves weeks ago to get ready to use these funds,” the remarks concluded. “Conversely, they might decide against it to secure political leverage” while GOP lawmakers attempt to push upper chamber Democrats to vote for a spending bill to restart government operations.
Emergency Measures
Governors in multiple regions activated emergency protocols recently to allocate funds to combat potential hunger preparing for SNAP benefits not being issued next month.
