SNAP benefit funds slashed

Though many Americans were celebrating Halloween this past weekend, others were budgeting and planning how they would feed their families this month.

As a result of the government shutdown, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was set to lapse on Nov. 1, leaving tens of millions of people hungry across the country.

Formally known as the Food Stamps Program, SNAP provides aide to nearly 42 million people, about one in eight Americans.

According to an article by CNN, about 39 percent of recipients were children, while 20 percent were elderly and 10 percent were individuals with a disability in 2023.

Further, 75 percent of households receiving SNAP benefits are below the federal poverty line.

As long as the government is shut down, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who runs SNAP, will have no more federal funds to distribute as food stamps.

Though Congress has $5.5 billion in emergency funds, the Trump administration has adamantly opposed using it, claiming that the lapse of SNAP does not constitute a
national emergency.

On Oct. 28, Minn. Governor Tim Walz released a statement to MinnPost.

“The USDA has funding set aside to keep food assistance programs running during emergencies,” Walz said in MinnPost article. “Trump just won’t release it. 440,000 Minnesotans – and millions more Americans – will pay the price.”

Many other federal officials have also expressed a vehement disagreement with President Trump’s position, and on Friday Oct. 31, two federal judges ruled on the USDA lawsuit and ordered the administration to keep SNAP benefits in place during the government shutdown, stating that withholding food stamps is unlawful.

The Justice Department has not made any move to appeal against the ruling in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

On Monday, Nov. 3, the Trump administration filed court papers stating that they will provide only half of the usual monthly food stamps benefits, and, even then, recipients are not likely to receive their payments immediately.

CSB+SJU Political Science professor Christi Siver says that this is only a temporary solution.

“Funding SNAP in this way can only go on for so long. States and local communities are trying to step up to fill the gap, but in times like these people start to realize how much
many of our friends and neighbors depend on SNAP. If the shutdown continues, SNAP is only one of the essential programs that will stop; others include WIC and Head Start,”
Siver said via email.

Gov. Walz has directed four million dollars to food shelves around the state, in hopes of cushioning the pause of SNAP benefits. Minnesotans are scrambling to retain stocked
shelves as food banks are emptying at a never-seen-before rate.

The St. Joseph Food Shelf is also preparing for a potential influx of visits.

Julie Gravgaard, one of the managers, said they are discussing expanding the food shelf hours to accommodate customers.

“We are registering a lot of new clients, as well as seeing a lot of our former clients returning to us more frequently,” Gravgaard said. “Since SNAP, our grocery bills have
increased significantly, and we’ve been receiving more monetary and food donations as well.”

She also said the most helpful foods to donate are peanut butter, canned vegetables and fruits and cereal.

Students at CSB+SJU have expressed great concern for the members of their community that. may rely on food stamps.

CSB junior Alaynna Kriz spoke about her reaction to the news that SNAP had been in danger of being put on hold.

“It is a little heartbreaking that I know so many people who do rely on [SNAP] to eat, and it’s not always for the reasons that are being portrayed necessarily that people end up on [food stamps],” Kriz said.

As a member of Bonner, she shared that the CSB+SJU Bonner Leader Program had taken action by asking each member to bring canned food to their meeting to be donated to the St. Joe Food Shelf.

CSB Campus Ministry has changed their Sunday Mass collections to go to the St. Joe Food Shelf for the rest of the semester as well.

“I think the more we can do the better, organizing larger food drives, partnering with nonprofit agencies to help get more food out to more people, using things like community
kitchens here on campus which brings sustainable meals to people in the community who need them as well as making sure that we’re as students volunteering and spending
our time the places that count the most right now,” Kriz said.

Mesa Siebert, who leads the SNAP outreach program for Second Harvest Heartland, the largest food bank in Minnesota, said that typically the USDA reimburses 50% of their
spending through the SNAP outreach grant, but because of the shutdown, they are currently receiving no federal funding.

“It’s hard to base things off precedence because in previous times we would likely get retroactive reimbursement but now we just don’t know,” Siebert said.

However, she also said that she wanted to assure the community that there are resources available for everyone.

“We’re here to help your immediate food needs, and then we can help you plan for tomorrow,” Siebert said. “And it’s important to remember that students experience food insecurity too – we are here to help.”

Meanwhile, the federal government shutdown, first put into effect on Oct. 1, continues.

This marks the longest shutdown in U.S. history, with the Senate adjourning without a resolution once again.

With 14 unsuccessful votes as of Wednesday, Nov. 5, the stalemate continues, leaving SNAP benefits, flood relief funds and other urgent needs in an unstable and inconsistent
state.

There is no new vote scheduled at the moment.

The U.S. Conference of Bishops released a statement on the potential halt in funding, condemning the federal government’s inability to come to an agreement and urging a
timely reconciliation.

“This would be catastrophic for families and individuals who rely on SNAP to put food on the table and places the burden of this shutdown most heavily on the poor and vulnerable of our nation,” The U.S. Conference of Bishops said via an Instagram post.

In the face of uncertainty, Second Harvest Heartland continues to provide nutritional support to neighbors who need it.

Siebert says she remains positive in the face of uncertainty.

“It’s incredible that in times of crisis like this, there is such an outpouring of support from the community. It gives me a lot of hope to watch that unfold,” Siebert said. “Even in the face of challenges, being in person together is a beautiful salve.”