The last two weeks have brought chaos for food assistance programs and the people who rely on them. Advocates say it will have a lasting impact — even if the shutdown ends soon.
Funding for SNAP has been allocated, paused, reinstated, and canceled again, multiple times. It strained local food pantries and the state agencies that scrambled to lessen the impact on hungry residents.
“If this feels exhausting to follow, that is the point,” DeLauro said. “It is. The chaos is by design, and it's calculated as an effort to undermine the most effective anti-hunger program in this nation's history.”
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) announced on Friday that he would use money from the rainy day fund to reload residents' SNAP benefits. Shortly after, the Trump administration said it would release the funds at the federal level, but didn’t. They told states that had paid out benefits to take the money back, which Lamont said he wouldn’t do.
Jackie Riberdy from the nonprofit Connecticut Foodshare said the chaos has instilled a fear in providers and the communities they serve.
The next government funding deadline is in January. So, there’s a chance Congress could get a spending bill passed to end this shutdown, to find themselves back where they started.
“We know that it's going to take some time for funding lags and for the needs that people are facing, and for that fear that this was taken away once,” Riberdy said. “What's going to happen next time? Can this happen again?”
Riberdy said she’s also worried about how the new SNAP work requirements will impact beneficiaries. Starting November 1, individuals on SNAP between the ages of 18 and 64 must work 80 hours a month or participate in job training to qualify for the program. They’re exempt if they live with a child younger than 14 or if they are unable to work due to physical or mental limitations.
