WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTXL) - If the partial government shutdown doesn't end soon, the food stamp program that benefits nearly 39 million low-income Americans may run out of funding next month.
The partial government shutdown started on Dec. 22 due to an impasse between President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders over funding a $5 billion wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Politico reports that if Congress doesn't act, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could run out of funding, affecting millions of people who depend on the program each month.
The USDA says that eligible families will still receive their food stamp benefits for January.
However, according to a report from the Washington Post, SNAP's existence is automatically renewed, but has only been properly funded through January, with emergency reserves projected to cover less than two-thirds of February's payments.
If the shutdown continues through March, there would be no remaining funding for benefits. Recipients could then be facing a disruption in service or benefit cuts, both of which hurt retailers where the money is spent.
According to the Washington Post, federal officials haven't said whether they'd prioritize who receives food stamps or cut benefits for everyone.
The shut down may also impact how quickly taxpayers get their tax refund checks from the IRS.
Child nutrition programs, including school lunch, will continue operations into February, the USDA says, as well as most other domestic nutrition assistance programs such as the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC).
WIC and other domestic nutrition programs will not receive any additional federal funds during the shut down, but "can continue to operate at the State and local level with any funding and commodity resources that remain available."
The SNAP, the nation's food stamp program, served 38.5 million people in September 2018 and disbursed $4.7 billion in benefits, according to the latest available data from the USDA. For more information on how the partial government shutdown is affecting the USDA, click here.
According to Yahoo Finance, Florida is the 13th most impacted state. We reported on how the shutdown was affecting federal employees in Tallahassee in December.
