Alabama braces for SNAP stop
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Recipients will be able to spend benefits already loaded onto EBT cards. Photo: Andi Rice/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds will not be issued in November because of the federal government shutdown.
Why it matters: More than 750,000 Alabamians depend on the more than $140 million in federal support each month, according to the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
Zoom in: In a statement Monday, DHR said it received notice Friday that funds for November would not come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service due to the ongoing shutdown.
- Folks with EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards will be able to use benefits issued to the cards before Nov. 1 at any authorized retailer.
- But starting Nov. 1, this Saturday, no new benefits will be issued until federal funding is provided, per FNS.
Yes, but: Current SNAP recipients must continue to re-certify their benefits, the state DHR says, report as they normally would and submit all documentation required for them to continue in the program.
- That way, DHR can submit their files as soon as the suspension is lifted, allowing recipients to more quickly use November funds when they come through.
What they're saying: "Alabama DHR, along with many others, hopes Congress will come to a quick resolution on the federal government shutdown," DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner said in the statement.
Driving the news: When SNAP benefits run out this week, food banks say they will face a demand they can't possibly meet alone.
- The gap was already set to be exacerbated by sweeping SNAP eligibility changes in the administration's tax and spending bill, including expanded work requirements.
- Food banks were already strained by other federal program cuts.
Context: Karen Ehrens, the Alliance to End Hunger's U.S. policy manager, told Axios that USDA's decision was "hard to understand."
- She added, "It's very frustrating that the government ... would consider jeopardizing 42 million people's access to food at such short notice."
Friction point: USDA posted on its website that the "well has run dry," blaming Democrats for holding "out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures."
- Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid coverage.
- A senior White House official said in a statement to Axios the "administration's hands are now tied due to the radical Democrat shutdown."
What we're watching: To further aggravate the strain, food banks typically see extra demand during the holiday season.