Brooke Rollins warns millions could lose food stamps Nov 1 amid shutdown
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is warning that millions of Americans could lose food stamp benefits starting November 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown.
He accused Democrats of refusing to vote on measures to reopen the government and restore SNAP funding and said the USDA had run out of money to feed millions of Americans.
“We’re right on the edge. And I’ve been warning about this for almost a month now, we have enough money to get us through the end of October. But after that, the government needs to reopen,” Rollins said on “America Reports” on Tuesday. he said.
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The government shutdown has entered its fourth week amid a dispute over health care. Democrats say they won’t agree to reopen the government without a bill that includes an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, which expire in 2025.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks with Texas Governor Greg Abbott at a news conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on August 15. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
He argues that failure to act before enrollment opens in November could raise premiums for millions of Americans, while Republicans say they won’t negotiate until the government reopens.
“Hunger has no political party. Poverty does not discriminate between Republican or Democrat or blue or red states. This is real,” Rollins said.
Democrats asked the Trump administration to use the federal government’s SNAP emergency funds, but the USDA argued that they were not legally allowed to use those funds in this case.
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on the tenth day of the federal government shutdown on October 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
TRUMP ADMIN WARNES 42 MILLION AMERICANS COULD LOSE FOOD STAMPS IF THE SHUTDOWN IS CONTINUED
House Speaker Mike Johnson agreed, saying the legal analysis he had seen suggested the funds should have been allocated for this use earlier. This means SNAP funding could run out on Saturday.
A USDA memo obtained by Fox News Digital estimates that 42 million people could lose SNAP benefits starting in November.
Rollins accused Democrats of “using poor, vulnerable people as leverage” in their fight over health care.
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“Democrats continue to vote over and over again to keep this government shut down,” Rollins said.
“This is very surprising to me. I don’t know what they’re thinking.”
