“We are on the precipice of a hunger cliff like never before. For the first time in the history of the SNAP program, nearly 42 million Americans, including almost 16 million kids, are about to lose their grocery benefits,” said Filipic
Contact: Johanna Elsemore at jelsemore@strength.org
10/27/25, WASHINGTON, DC — With Congress unable to reach a bipartisan agreement to fund federal programs, the government shutdown will soon head into its second month. While federal nutrition programs have continued to operate thus far, USDA has announced that there will be no November SNAP benefits. This is despite a SNAP contingency fund for emergency situations like this, estimated to hold $5-6 billion, and flexibility to tap into supplemental funds within Section 32. The following is a statement from Anne Filipic, chief executive officer for Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign:
“We are on the precipice of a hunger cliff like never before. For the first time in the history of the SNAP program, nearly 42 million Americans, including almost 16 million kids, are about to lose their grocery benefits, should November SNAP benefits not be issued. This would be an unprecedented lapse in food aid made especially urgent by the rising cost of groceries.
“We need our elected leaders to step up and find a bipartisan solution to reopen the government. But let’s be clear: Americans simply cannot go without food while waiting for that to happen.
“USDA has the funds and authority to ensure November SNAP benefits are not interrupted. There is a contingency fund precisely for emergency moments like this, and USDA must act immediately to release that funding and transfer available funds to SNAP.
“Kids cannot wait another day. Any delay or interruption in benefits will be devastating for recipients, wreck havoc on local economies, and create unnecessary confusion and chaos for SNAP retailers and state agencies.
“It is absolutely necessary that USDA take this stopgap measure, but we need a long-term solution fast. With each passing day, the options available to prevent families from missing out on benefits become more limited. Congress must come to a bipartisan agreement that reopens the government and fully funds SNAP and all federal nutrition programs.”
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About Share Our Strength
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.