We have a chance to prevent millions of kids from going hungry in November — but we have to act fast.
If the federal government shutdown continues past Monday, the SNAP nutrition assistance program — previously known as food stamps — will run out of money to provide benefits to families for the month of November. Almost 3.5 million Texans would miss out on their SNAP benefits, along with millions of Americans in other states.
While the disruption should be temporary, it would pose real hardships for families — and could be devastating if it drags on. Families would have trouble putting food on the table. Kids and adults would go to bed hungry. Students wouldn’t be able to concentrate in school.
Fortunately, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has the ability to tap into reserve funding, including the SNAP contingency fund, to partially fund another month of the program.
Please contact your members of Congress today to urge them to tell the administration to keep funding SNAP:
We urge USDA to quickly use these funds to keep SNAP going into November. We also call on Congress to reopen the government to ensure families will continue to receive their SNAP benefits and other critical services this fall. Additionally, we urge Congress to quickly take action to renew the enhanced subsidies for health coverage to ensure that an estimated one million Texans don’t lose their insurance.
Texans enrolled in SNAP should know that they will eventually receive their November benefits once the shutdown ends. They can still use their Lone Star cards in November if they have benefits left over from October. Families can continue to apply for SNAP and should respond to any letters they receive from the state regarding their enrollment. Local food banks are stretched thin but are standing by to help families who don’t have enough to eat.
Thank you for raising your voice!
