US government says it will stop paying for food aid next week
Food aid used by more than 40 million Americans will not be distributed starting in November due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Ultimately, the well has dried up,” said a statement on the department’s website, blaming Senate Democrats for the stalemate.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) is used by one in eight Americans and plays a vital role in many grocery budgets.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration ruled out tapping an emergency fund that would continue to provide benefits, saying the money was needed for potential emergencies such as natural disasters.
Democrats condemned President Donald Trump for refusing to use emergency funding.
“This is perhaps the most brutal and unlawful crime the Trump administration has ever committed,” Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro and Angie Craig said in a joint statement Friday.
They also criticized Trump for providing aid to Argentina and building a new ballroom at the White House during the shutdown.
The emergency fund will cover only 60% of a month’s worth of benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a think tank focused on policies that help low-income families.
In a letter sent to the agriculture department on Friday, House Democrats said there “still remains significant funds in Snap’s emergency reserve that could be used to finance the bulk of the November aid — which is exactly why Congress provided it.”
They asked Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to release the reserves and then transfer other available money from her department to fully fund this month’s program.
In a memo obtained by U.S. agencies, Rollins said the reserve could only be used for “true emergencies,” mostly natural disasters.
before in himself closure plan publishedHis department said it would prevent a small number of employees from being furloughed to run the program and said Congress had created “multi-year emergency funds” to ensure states could continue distributing aid.
Snap works by giving people reloadable debit cards that they can use to buy essential shopping items.
According to the CBPP, a family of four receives an average of $715 (£540) a month; This works out to just under $6 (£4.50) per person per day.
States administer the programs, and most funding comes from the federal government.
Many states have pledged to use their own funds to cover any shortfall, but the federal government has warned those funds will not be refunded.
Some, including Massachusetts, where a million people are expected to lose benefits, said they did not have enough money to make up for the lack of funding.
Many states are working with people at Snap to find charitable food pantries and alternative sources for meals, and California is deploying its National Guard to help distribute food.
The US government shutdown entered its 26th day on Sunday, making it the second-longest shutdown in history.
