What’s happening and why?

The Republican-led Congress advanced budget legislation earlier this year that reduces federal funding for SNAP by hundreds of billions of dollars over the coming years, as a part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

• That puts the more than 40 million Americans, including many children and seniors, at risk of food insecurity.

The federal government is not only decreasing its funding by 75%, but they’re turning the certification process into an administrative nightmare as well.

2.9 Million New Yorkers rely on SNAP, and these cuts will strip benefits from New Yorkers under humanitarian protections, victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, and more. It’ll also make it more difficult for veterans, unhoused people, and young people who recently aged out of foster care to receive benefits.

How is this related to the Government Shutdown?

The federal government has been shut down since October 1, and because of that, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ran out of money on Saturday, November 1.

Normally, the USDA pays out monthly SNAP benefits, but without a budget, it can’t legally release new funds. Recently, a federal court ordered USDA to use emergency funds for the program, but administrative delays are still in the way of securing food for millions of people.

But even this emergency funding is just a temporary fix, unless the government shutdown ends, and the proposed budget cuts to federal food aid are retracted, food insecurity in the midst of an affordability crisis may be more common.