Food assistance programs are in crisis, here’s the latest…

What’s happening right now in Washington, DC, reaches every home in the United States. Food is becoming less accessible and more expensive. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is partially frozen. This program helps around 42 million people buy groceries each month. The Special Supplement Nutritional Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is under threat. WIC provides food assistance, baby formula, and nutrition support for about 6.7 million expecting mothers, new parents, and young kids.

The U.S. government shutdown has endangered food programs

Right now, the federal government has stopped normal operations because Congress cannot agree on a budget. When this happens, many government programs lose their funding. Food assistance like SNAP and WIC are critical. Americans rely on them to afford to feed themselves and their families. They are part of the reason why the U.S. has not seen mass starvation in recent history. The government shutdown certainly endangers these programs. The stress and uncertainty of a shutdown unduly harm families that use these programs. These are often families paid low wages, people with disabilities, seniors, and parents of young children.

The Trump Administration is using the uncertainty of the shutdown to withhold food, against the bipartisan will of Congress

Here is the frustrating truth: the Trump Administration has moved to use the government shutdown as a way to block SNAP and threaten WIC. Of course, it’s impossible to know exactly why the administration has done this. But we can guess that it is possibly to force an end to the government shutdown. (The shutdown has seemingly become a fight between members of Congress who want to protect health care tax credits and lawmakers allied with the White House who do not.) Here’s exactly what’s happening now with SNAP and WIC.  

For SNAP: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is in charge of SNAP (and WIC). A law reauthorized in 2024 directs the USDA to use a SNAP “contingency fund” to keep benefits flowing in the event of an emergency. A government shutdown is just such an emergency. At first, the USDA didn’t release the contingency funds, claiming they did not have the authority. This left SNAP users in a terrifying limbo. Advocates and states raised their voices and took the administration to court. Two federal judges sided with the American people and ordered the USDA to release the SNAP contingency funds. The Trump Administration has yet to comply fully as we write this. Members of Congress from both political parties have spoken out loudly against withholding SNAP benefits. This action runs counter to American values that transcend party politics. 

The bottom line on SNAP: The White House has only released part of the contingency funds. And even still, contingency funds won’t provide support for long. SNAP users will only get partial benefits in November with possibly nothing available in December. Congress must speak to the USDA to immediately release all contingency funds and then move to fully fund SNAP permanently. 

For WIC: The administration has taken more measures to preserve WIC than with SNAP. But families have still faced uncertainty. The administration has transferred emergency funds to keep WIC running — but they have only done it twice. Both transfers came only after states started running out of money and families began panicking. Each transfer provides benefits for a short time. Usually, it’s only a few weeks. This pattern is not sustainable and causes immense stress for families with young children.  

The bottom line on WIC: Leaving families guessing every few weeks about whether they’ll be able to eat is not acceptable. While the administration has transferred funds to support WIC twice, there is also no guarantee they’ll continue. Congress must also speak to the USDA to insist on full, permanent funds for WIC.

Everyone deserves access to nutritious food. Raise your voices for SNAP and WIC!

It should not take court orders to get the government to feed hungry families. WIC recipients should not have to wait for last-minute emergency transfers every few weeks. 

Millions of families are facing traumatic stress about how to feed themselves. Retailers will lose significant revenue without SNAP and WIC purchases, and grocery prices could go up for everyone. These food programs affect everyone in the country, even if they do not use SNAP and WIC themselves. 

The court victories for SNAP happened because advocates spoke up. We must keep going! 

Contact your members of Congress and write media: 

• Call or email your senators and representatives in Congress. Tell them how a shutdown affects your family. They need to hear from real people about real consequences. Tell them to insist that the administration release funds for SNAP and WIC. You can find their contact information here on the RESULTS website. 

• Write media for your local news outlets with the call to fully fund food programs. See the RESULTS Action Center for a template! 

Resources 

If the government shutdown has harmed you or someone you know, reach out to your member of Congress for help. You can use the contact information in the bullets above.  

If you need food today, visit Feeding America’s website to find free food and grocery sites. This resource also has information about food banks, rental support, and other vital services.