As the government shutdown approaches its fifth week, millions of Americans are confronting a historic crisis in food assistance. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps, is set to lapse for the first time in modern history on November 1, 2025, threatening benefits for approximately 42 million people nationwide. In response, two senators have introduced separate legislative proposals to address the emergency, exposing sharp partisan divisions over how to proceed.
The shutdown is the third under President Trump, with over 900,000 federal employees furloughed and approximately 2 million working without pay.
Without congressional action or use of emergency funds, SNAP benefits worth approximately $8 to $9 billion per month will not be distributed starting November 1. The program serves 42 million Americans, including 16 million children, 8 million seniors, 4 million people with disabilities, and 1.2 million veterans.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, posted a stark warning on its website: “Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has stated the department requires $9.2 billion to fund November SNAP benefits, administrative costs, and nutrition block grants for U.S. territories.
On October 21, 2025, Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, introduced the Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025. The legislation would appropriate necessary funding to provide uninterrupted SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, with provisions retroactive to September 30, 2025, when the shutdown began.
In a New York Times op-ed published October 28, Hawley argued: “There is no reason any of these residents of my state—or any other American who qualifies for food assistance—should go hungry. We can afford to provide the help.” He noted that preventing poverty through the food program costs about one-tenth of the annual defense budget.
Hawley’s bill has attracted bipartisan support, though predominantly from Republicans. The legislation now has 11 cosponsors: 10 Republicans and one Democrat. Republican cosponsors include Senators James Lankford (Oklahoma), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee), Bernie Moreno (Ohio), Kevin Cramer (North Dakota), Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), Katie Britt (Alabama), Jon Husted (Ohio), and John Cornyn (Texas). Senator Peter Welch of Vermont is the sole Democratic cosponsor.
On October 28, 2025, Senator Ben Ray Luján, a New Mexico Democrat who serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, introduced competing legislation: the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025.
Luján’s bill differs from Hawley’s proposal in several critical ways. While both would fund SNAP during the shutdown, Luján’s legislation also includes funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a separate food aid program serving low-income pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age 5. Additionally, Luján’s bill would require that states be reimbursed for any funding they provide for benefits during the shutdown.
The USDA has approximately $5.5 to $6 billion contingency fund specifically designated for SNAP.
Democratic lawmakers and 23 state attorneys general argue the Trump administration has both the authority and legal obligation to use these funds to maintain benefits during the shutdown.
On September 30, 2025, USDA issued a “Lapse of Funding Plan” acknowledging that “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds” and stating these funds “are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs.”
However, on October 24, USDA reversed course, issuing a memo stating that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits” and arguing the money should be reserved for natural disasters. This contradicts the department’s earlier position and has sparked a lawsuit from attorneys general and governors of 25 Democratic-led states.
Despite bipartisan concern about the looming SNAP crisis, prospects for either bill remain uncertain. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has criticized standalone spending approvals for specific programs during the shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson stated it would be a “waste of time” to vote on standalone funding patches during the ongoing shutdown.
The shutdown stems from disagreements between Democrats, who want to extend expiring enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act as part of approving continued federal funding, and Republicans, who want to extend federal funding first before negotiating over the ACA subsidies.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program was established permanently in 1964 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society Program, though its roots trace back to 1939 during the Great Depression. SNAP provides monthly financial assistance to low-income individuals and families, enabling them to purchase nutritious food through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards that function like prepaid debit cards.
According to the most recent USDA data, over 42 million Americans—approximately 1 in 8 people—receive SNAP benefits each month. This represents about 12% of the U.S. population.
Demographic Breakdown:
- Children: Approximately 39-42% of SNAP recipients are children
- Elderly: About 20% of participants are older adults
- Non-elderly individuals with disabilities: Nearly 10% of participants
- Parents: Approximately 20% of recipients
According to 2023 USDA data, white individuals comprise the largest racial group receiving SNAP benefits at 35.4%, followed by African Americans at 25.7%, Hispanic individuals at 15.6%, Asian individuals at 3.9%, Native Americans at 1.3%, and multiracial individuals at 1.2%.
Approximately 89.4% of SNAP recipients are U.S.-born citizens, with fewer than 11% being foreign-born, including 6.2% naturalized citizens, 1.1% refugees, and 3.3% other eligible non-citizens.
For the period October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, SNAP eligibility requirements include:
Gross Income Limits (130% of federal poverty level):
- 1 person: $1,696/month
- 2 people: $2,292/month
- 3 people: $2,888/month
- 4 people: $3,483/month
Net Income Limits (100% of federal poverty level):
- 1 person: $1,305/month
- 2 people: $1,763/month
- 3 people: $2,221/month
- 4 people: $2,680/month
Starting October 1, 2025, the maximum monthly SNAP benefits increased slightly due to cost-of-living adjustments:
- 1 person: $298/month
- 2 people: $546/month
- 3 people: $785/month
- 4 people: $994/month
In fiscal year 2025, the average monthly benefit per individual was $156.59, while households received an average of $356.41 per month. In Ohio specifically, the average benefit was $186.02 per person as of May 2025, up from $159 per person in 2022.
Economic Impact
SNAP serves as a crucial economic stabilizer with significant multiplier effects:
