Government Shutdown Puts Pressure on Food Banks Supporting SNAP Recipients

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DALLAS () The ongoing government shutdown has left the distribution schedule for SNAP benefits in limbo, creating uncertainty for the 42 million Americans who rely on this critical food assistance program.

Local food banks and community groups nationwide are stepping in to fill the void left by the stalled Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

In Dallas, over the weekend, hundreds of people sought emergency food supplies at locations such as The Stewpot and Catholic Charities of Dallas.

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Meanwhile, in McKinney, a suburb roughly 30 miles north of Dallas, the nonprofit Baby Booties Diaper Bank distributed over 24,000 diapers to nearly 500 families, marking one of their busiest events since the pandemic began.

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Organizers anticipate another wave of need as Thanksgiving nears, particularly with SNAP funding still entangled in legal disputes.

An appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to continue funding SNAP during the shutdown. The White House now has until Tuesday to appeal the decision, after the Department of Agriculture warned states could face penalties if they don’t reverse payments already sent.

For the tens of millions of Americans who rely on SNAP benefits, relief can’t come soon enough. Payments could resume as early as this week, though they remain on hold at least through Tuesday night.

Last week, a federal judge ordered the administration to use $4.6 billion in emergency funds to cover this month’s SNAP benefits. However, the administration pushed back, arguing it would exceed its budget authority and drain money from other programs.

That ruling was paused by Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, pending the latest appeals court decision.

Now, the Trump administration could appeal again, prolonging the uncertainty for Americans like Heather Penny, a Texas mother of three, including a son with special needs, who says she’s running out of options.

“I don’t know what to do because we’re already struggling,” Penny said. “He relies on those snacks to get him from lunch to dinner, and even breakfast to lunch.”