Uncertainty persists for SNAP recipients, federal workers as shutdown drags on

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Camila DeChalus, Veronica Stracqualursi, Auzinea Bacon, CNN

(CNN) — Laterese Johnson has roughly a week and a half to two weeks of food benefits left to feed herself and her grandchildren, a reality that sunk in over the weekend when the government shutdown forced delays in payments for food assistance.

“With the amount of SNAP benefits that I receive, it’s just enough to feed one person, but I have to share that with my grandchildren,” she told CNN’s Victor Blackwell on Saturday. “You know, it’s already a sacrifice.”

Johnson is one of millions of Americans, including food stamp recipients and federal workers, who are facing more uncertainty as the government shutdown enters its fifth week, with congressional Republicans and Democrats remaining at odds over a solution.

While two judges ruled last week that the Trump administration must tap into emergency funds for the roughly 42 million recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, it’s unclear whether they’ll receive their full benefits and when relief could come.

The Department of Agriculture’s contingency fund doesn’t have enough money to cover the total cost of the payments, which 3 million recipients should have received November 1. Remaining SNAP enrollees getting their allotments on a staggered basis during the month.

Meanwhile, GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested there could be progress toward ending the shutdown after Election Day this week, claiming that Democrats believe ending the impasse could harm voter turnout in key races in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City. His comments came days after President Donald Trump began ramping up pressure on the GOP to unilaterally end the government shutdown by eliminating the Senate filibuster, a move Republican leaders have opposed.

Rachel Kent, a SNAP recipient, told CNN on Saturday that food should not be a political argument. “Congress can debate budgets all day, but you don’t debate whether children get to go to bed hungry,” she said.

The prolonged lapse in government funding continues to stress food banks, charities and nonprofits set up to assist Americans in need, with federal workers going without pay also turning to those sources for aid.

Nina Savransky, a former disaster response worker at the US Agency for International Development who volunteered at a food bank in the Washington, DC, area over the weekend, told CNN she was shocked to see the level of food insecurity brought on by the shutdown, particularly among federal workers.

“I used to work in the disaster response bureau, and this is the disaster response now,” she told CNN. “It’s shocking to see this happen in the United States. This was support that we gave out to other countries that were unstable, and to feel that instability internally is … surprising. It’s difficult.”

Food banks grapple with a surge in demand

As the congressional stalemate persists, food banks across the county say the demand for their services is only rising and they will not be able to fill the gap made by delays to SNAP payments.

“The potential is absolutely devastating, cataclysmic, in fact, for the whole nation, not only people experiencing hunger, but especially them,” Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, told CNN’s Jessica Dean on Saturday. “For every one meal that the charitable food system can provide, SNAP has been providing nine. That’s why I’m saying ‘cataclysmic.’”

Cara Durr, CEO of Food Bank of Alaska, said her group’s partner organization was seeing a lot of “concern and anxiety” over SNAP disruptions over the past few weeks, and that many of the communities they serve were already rattled by Typhoon Halong, which tore through remote, coastal communities in the state last month.

“We’re already seeing an increase. We expect that will continue,” she said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are reeling from the effects of a prolonged shutdown as it drags into its second month. At a food bank just outside Washington, DC, over the weekend, some became emotional as they described to CNN how the uncertainty of their pay and employment status has taken a toll on their finances and mental health.

Colby, a State Department employee of 21 years who declined to give his last name, said he never imagined he’d be in line for food. “It’s different. We’ve been volunteering here for a while — we live a few blocks away. And now we’re on the receiving end. I’m just thankful it’s here.”

Janis, a federal worker who declined to give her last name, became emotional describing how the shutdown has upended things for her family.

“It’s a big impact because now we have to choose either to feed ourselves or pay the bills,” said Janis, who did not want to disclose the agency she worked for.

“We have young children, and we have to keep it together for them. It feels as if the government doesn’t care,” she said. “The holidays are coming — people are going to be hungry. We are the land of opportunity, and it doesn’t look like it.”

Grocers brace for a hit

The delays in food benefits are likely to affect not only recipients and the nonprofits that serve them, but could also lead to declining sales for grocers like Daweit Gebru, who co-owns Elmira Market with his brother in Washington, DC. He estimates that 60% to 65% of their business comes from customers using SNAP benefits.

The market saw what was “possibly the worst time of business” last weekend, he said. Customers were more reluctant to spend money because of the shutdown, he said, and he and his brother were afraid to stock the market in case they didn’t sell anything. They forfeited part of their paychecks for the month to cover their staffs’ salaries and are now resorting to credit cards to stay afloat.

At Zuppardo’s Family Market in Metairie, Louisiana, customer traffic remained steady over the weekend, according to owner Joseph Zuppardo. Louisiana’s Department of Health said it was moving forward with a state-funded program for SNAP households that include people who are elderly, disabled or children.

The family-owned supermarket just outside of New Orleans has worked “extremely close under normal markups” to keep food affordable, according to Zuppardo. Long-term disruptions to SNAP could lead to as much as a 15% drop in sales, he said, adding, “we’re trying to do our part into lowering our costs.”

At Joseph’s Market in Waterville, Maine, manager Sydney McKinnis said she is creating a November special priced under $150, potentially including basics like burgers, pork chops and bacon.

McKinnis wants to keep it affordable “even if I have to go close to costs … just to be able to fill people’s freezers.”

CNN’s Tami Luhby and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.

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