NEW JERSEY – On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not be issued on Nov. 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown, now the second-longest in U.S. history.
Roughly 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families – that’s just over 12% of the country.
“Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),” a new message reads at the top of the USDA’s website. “Bottom line, the well has run dry.”
“Bottom line, the well has run dry.” — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Dig deeper:
Over the past several weeks, Senate Democrats have consistently voted down a Republican stopgap bill to fund the government as the bill does not include what they believe to be adequate health care funding.
Democrats want to negotiate with Republicans to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year and reverse cuts that were recently implemented to Medicaid funding as part of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
The two parties have yet to reach a consensus on a funding bill, and as a result, nearly 830,000 New Jersey residents will go without their SNAP benefits in November – that’s roughly 9% of the state’s population.
Additionally, a report from the Associated Press indicates that the Trump administration has no plans to tap into the roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep SNAP aid flowing into next month. A memo obtained by the AP says that those funds are reserved for helping Americans during natural disasters.
What they’re saying:
In a statement released over the weekend, NJ Governor Phil Murphy said that “Washington Republicans have repeatedly used their total control over our federal government to gut the social safety net, rip food away from hungry families and kick people off of their health care.”
“These decisions are putting families across our state in impossible positions, forcing them to choose between feeding their children, affording life-saving medications or paying rent. We see this for what it is – a clear abandonment of America’s working- and middle-class families,” he added.
Here’s what you can do if you’ll be affected.
What NJ SNAP recipients can do for assistance in November
What you can do:
If you live in New Jersey and rely on SNAP benefits, you can access local food banks for assistance. To find a food bank near you, you can type in your ZIP code here.
The New Jersey Department of Human Services Division of Family Development (DFD) also notes on their website that funds loaded onto SNAP EBT cards prior to Oct. 31 will still be available to use after Nov. 1. Before going to the grocery store come November, the department encourages SNAP recipients to check their balance here or by calling 800-997-3333.
“If there are SNAP benefits in your NJ FamiliesFirst account, they are available for you to use,” the department says.
New Jersey also has a cash assistance program called Work First New Jersey (WFNJ). For families, the program is known as Work First New Jersey/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (WFNJ/TANF). For single adults and couples without dependent children, the program is known as Work First New Jersey/General Assistance (WFNJ/GA).
According to the DFD, the WFNJ programs “provide monthly cash, child care, job search and readiness, and short-term housing support for eligible New Jersey residents.” These funds can be used to purchase food and other items typically covered by SNAP benefits.
The Source: Information was sourced from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Fox News, USA Today, The Kaiser Family Foundation, The Associated Press, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a statement from NJ Gov. Phil Murphy, Feeding America, The New Jersey Department of Human Services Division of Family Development, the NJ state government and FOX 5 DC.
New Jersey PoliticsWashington, D.C.U.S. SenateU.S. HouseDonald J. TrumpPolitics
