Nutrition Assistance Scheduled to Cease for Over 40 Million Amid Continuing Government Closure
USDA officials stated on Saturday that nutrition assistance payments through a critical national social assistance programs are not going out during the coming month because of the continuing federal closure.
Impasse Persists For Nearly Four Weeks
The federal closure had reached its 25th day when the announcement was made, which followed calls from over 200 House Democrats asking the department to access emergency reserves to fund the upcoming nutrition payments.
“Ultimately, funds are depleted,” officials announced. “At this time, no payments will be distributed” beginning in November.
Widespread Impact
Tens of millions of people depend on these monthly payments, per federal data. Some regions, like one southwestern state, dependence on the program reaches a significant portion of citizens.
A memo obtained by a major news agency showed that federal authorities decided against using reserve funds to cover next month's assistance.
Legislative Deadlock
Congressional leaders remain deadlocked about the way to finance and restart federal agencies.
Remarks from the head of a prominent policy organization noted that the White House could have acted to act sooner to prevent benefits from running out.
“It could have, and should have made moves before now to make arrangements to access these resources,” the statement continued. “Instead, it may choose not to use them to secure political leverage” as Republicans seek to influence Democratic senators to vote for a spending bill to restart government operations.
States Prepare
State leaders from Louisiana and Virginia issued emergency declarations recently to free up resources to address food insecurity in anticipation of food benefits expiring in November.
