11/1/25, AUSTIN, TEXAS — On Saturday, November 1, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) did not distribute monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, leaving 42 million Americans without grocery assistance during a government shutdown. The following is a statement from No Kid Hungry Texas Director, Stacie Sanchez Hare:
Statement:
“We are deeply concerned with the USDA’s decision not to distribute SNAP benefits this month due to the government shutdown and are concerned for the millions of families that this decision will impact.
“SNAP is our nation’s largest and most effective nutrition program, providing monthly grocery benefits to 3.5 million Texans, including 1.7 million children. For the first time since the program began, those benefits have been delayed.
“The USDA had both the resources and the authority to prevent any interruption of November SNAP benefits, and the decision to not to use the SNAP Contingency Fund—estimated at $5 to $6 billion—is troubling. These funds exist precisely for moments like this, to protect families from unnecessary hardship.
“At a time when families are already stretched thin by rising grocery costs, the impact of this decision will be immediate and far-reaching. In September, our latest poll found that 85% of Texans say the cost of groceries is rising faster than their income; 71% reported having to choose between feeding their families or covering essentials like rent, utilities, or medication. The lapse in benefits will only exacerbate these difficult tradeoffs as families struggle to make ends meet.
“This decision has created a hunger emergency, costing Americans $8 billion in grocery benefits—an enormous loss that will ripple through communities, threatening the health and well-being of millions of children.
“In the face of this crisis, Share Our Strength is launching a $1 million fund to help keep kids fed in this critical time. Funds will be distributed through national and local partners to support direct cash assistance to families and community food distribution. We know this won’t be enough to prevent the looming hunger crisis, but we can ease the burden for some.
“We strongly urge Congress to reach a bipartisan solution to end the shutdown, and call on the USDA to immediately use the SNAP Contingency Fund to restore and fully fund benefits. Families across the country simply cannot go without food while waiting for our government to act. Americans deserve better.
