As the US government shutdown stretches further into November and threatens holiday spending, one casualty of the budget impasse feared to hit sales of major grocers and their suppliers: the delay of monthly federal food assistance.
Wall Street analysts, company executives and investors warn the funding pause for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, known as SNAP, risks putting further pressure on low-income households, which were already buckling under the weight of tariff-induced inflation and a tough job market. The Trump Administration’s tax and spending bill this summer reduced food aid for SNAP recipients, but the current halt in monthly benefits distribution has potential to worsen the strain.