No federal food aid will go out Nov. 1, Trump administration posts on USDA website

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has put up a notice on its website announcing that federal food aid will not go out on November 1. This makes things even worse for households around the country while the government shutdown continues. The fresh notification comes after the Trump administration stated it wouldn’t use about $5 billion in emergency funds to keep SNAP payments going through November. About 1 in 8 Americans use the program to buy food.

The USDA notice reads, “The bottom line is that the well has run dry.” “At this time, no benefits will be paid out on November 1.” We are getting close to a turning moment for Senate Democrats.

The closure, which started on October 1, is currently the second-longest in history. The Republican government did things before the shutdown to make sure SNAP payments were paid this month, but the cutoff would affect a lot more Americans, including some of the most needy, unless a political solution is found in just a few days.

The administration blames the Democrats, who claim they won’t agree to reopen the government until Republicans talk to them about extending the Affordable Care Act’s expiring subsidies. Before they can talk, Republicans believe Democrats need to agree to reopen the government.

Democratic lawmakers have asked Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to utilize contingency money to pay for most of next month’s benefits.

But a statement from the USDA that came out on Friday indicates that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” The paper claims that the money is set aside for things like supporting people in areas that have been hit by disasters.

It used the storm Melissa, which has grown into a significant hurricane, as an illustration of why it’s necessary to have the money on hand to act promptly in case of an emergency.

Both parties’ states are quite worried that households won’t get food help.

Some states have promised to keep SNAP benefits going even if the federal program stops making payments. However, there are uncertainties about whether U.S. government rules will let that happen. The USDA memo also indicates that states wouldn’t get their money back for temporarily covering the cost.

Some states are urging people who get SNAP assistance to be ready for them to end. For example, Arkansas and Oklahoma are telling people who get help with food to find food banks and other groups that can help.

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said that Republicans and Trump would not agree to bargain.

Murphy stated on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, “The truth is that if they sat down to talk, we could probably come up with something pretty quickly.” “We could open the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there wouldn’t be a problem with the food stamp program.”

Source: 1 person killed, 6 wounded in shooting at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania

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