In just over a week, nearly 42 million Americans could lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as the federal shutdown drags on. The program, better known as SNAP, is the nation’s largest food aid network and a vital safety net for families, seniors, and the working poor.

About 1 in 8 U.S. residents receive an average of $187 per month in benefits. For many, that money is the difference between eating and going hungry. According to NPR, Shari Jablonowski, a 66-year-old widow outside Pittsburgh, already struggles to make ends meet. She cares for her disabled nephew, whose $291 in food aid could vanish on November 1. Without it, she fears losing heat this winter and any hope of celebrating Thanksgiving.

A fragile safety net built over decades

SNAP, once known as food stamps, was born out of the Great Depression to combat hunger and poverty. Its beneficiaries include children, working families, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities. With the shutdown halting federal spending, the Department of Agriculture has warned states that benefits will be paused until further notice.

Hunger advocates warn the fallout could rival the worst food insecurity crisis in nearly a century. Joel Berg of Hunger Free America says the country faces mass hunger suffering unseen since the 1930s if SNAP funding runs out.

For most recipients, SNAP is the only federal assistance that provides direct cash value. Medicaid funds go to healthcare providers, and cash welfare programs were cut back decades ago. Without SNAP, many households lose their last stable source of monthly support.

WIC and other nutrition programs also in jeopardy

The shutdown’s reach extends beyond SNAP. A separate program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, supports about 7 million families. The Trump administration used $300 million in tariff funds to keep WIC running temporarily, but that money is expected to dry up within weeks. While some states have pledged to cover shortfalls, most lack sufficient reserves to do so.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has publicly blamed Senate Democrats for the impasse, saying their refusal to end the shutdown without healthcare concessions threatens mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable. Democrats argue Republicans are holding government funding hostage to block extensions of Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Policy experts, including analysts at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, argue that USDA can legally move funds to sustain SNAP, as it did for WIC. SNAP is an entitlement program, meaning eligible recipients have a legal right to benefits. Failing to issue them could put the agency in violation of federal law, though USDA has not confirmed its interpretation.

A new blow

As funding uncertainty looms, SNAP recipients face another challenge. On November 1, new work requirements will take effect, a policy reinstated by Congressional Republicans earlier this year. The changes could cut off aid to an estimated 2.4 million people over the next decade, even as millions risk losing benefits altogether due to the shutdown.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has urged the USDA to continue payments, noting that SNAP injects about $8 billion monthly into local economies. More than 250,000 grocery stores, farmers markets, and small retailers rely on SNAP purchases to stay afloat.

With federal aid in limbo, states are mobilizing emergency measures. Virginia declared a state of emergency to provide temporary food benefits. Colorado’s governor appealed for food bank donations, while California plans to deploy National Guard troops to assist with distribution, echoing efforts seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet even with these steps, advocates warn that local charities cannot compensate for a loss of billions in federal funds.

Uncharted territory for America’s hungry

If SNAP funding halts, the U.S. would enter unprecedented territory for modern food policy. For families like Jablonowski’s, survival becomes a question of improvisation. She already visits food pantries and expects to rely on them more heavily. Her words echo the growing anxiety across the nation: the worry of being left with nothing.