Time is running out for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to go out to eligible families in November. More than three weeks into the federal government shutdown, states are bracing for a likely pause in SNAP payments starting next month.
SNAP provides food assistance for 42 million people across the U.S. About 1 in 8 Americans rely on the program. Among them are 2 million people in Pennsylvania, with nearly 472,000 recipients in Philadelphia, or roughly 30% of the city’s population.
Nearly 70% of SNAP recipients are children, older adults or people with a disability, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In Pennsylvania, a looming SNAP freeze would occur against the backdrop of the commonwealth’s own budget impasse, which has stalled billions of dollars from going to schools and social services. The Pennsylvania budget is currently 116 days past due as of Oct. 24, with no end in sight.
Here’s what to know about November SNAP payments, where to find alternative food resources and how to help.
Will SNAP payments definitely be frozen in November?
Congress and President Donald Trump could strike a deal to end the federal shutdown that began Oct. 1, though a delay in benefits could still be possible.
Pennsylvania officials expect previously allocated SNAP benefits to remain accessible in November and are telling beneficiaries to save, if able.
In a letter sent to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Thursday, 46 of 47 Democrats in the U.S. Senate urged the release of contingency funds for partial SNAP benefits. It remains unclear whether the contingency funds may be used.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, was the lone Democrat not to sign the letter.
In a video message posted to X, Fetterman and fellow Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican, said it’s time to reopen the federal government.
U.S. Senate Republicans are considering a bill to keep SNAP funding flowing introduced by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, of Missouri. A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. House on Friday by U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, of Iowa.
