Florida recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will not be paid in November due to the ongoing government shutdown, state officials told Patch on Tuesday.

SNAP benefits in Florida are federally funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, currently being impacted by the shutdown, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families.

As the shutdown prepares to enter its fourth week on Wednesday, this latest disruption could affect the nearly 42 million Americans, including 2,943,012 Floridians, who receive SNAP benefits to help pay for groceries.

If the shutdown persists in November, officials said Florida SNAP benefits will not be issued until federal funding is restored. However, the state does plan to send out notices regarding eligible benefit amounts for November.

October benefits will not be affected and will be issued as scheduled, agency officials told Patch. Existing SNAP benefits will continue to be available for use, and recipients can check their EBT card balance any time online.

If a person has submitted a renewal or an application to receive benefits, officials said there is no need to reapply as processing benefits will be slowed. All applications and renewals received thus far are being processed, officials said.

“The department is monitoring the federal government shutdown closely and is committed to resuming benefits as quickly as possible once funding is restored,” DCF said in a statement.

The SNAP program helps low-income people buy produce, meat, dairy and other household food staples. On average, recipients receive a payment of $187 (or roughly $6 per day) on prepaid EBT cards that they can use to purchase items.

While SNAP is a federal program, states are responsible for administering benefits to recipients.
According to the USDA’s letter obtained by Time magazine, SNAP benefits will be paid through October. However, if the government shutdown continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay November benefits.

The federal government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, is now the second-longest on record with no end in sight. Some lawmakers are predicting it could become the longest, surpassing the 35 days from President Donald Trump’s first term.

The Trump administration is using the current shutdown to buttress priorities it favors while seeking to dismantle those it does not. Nevertheless, Democrats are insisting that any funding bill include help for millions of Americans who will lose health insurance coverage or face dramatically higher monthly premiums if Congress does nothing.

The Congressional Budget Office also estimated that roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day of the shutdown, with the total daily cost of their compensation estimated at roughly $400 million.

The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund has created an online hub of resources for federal workers affected by the shutdown. Congressman Maxwell Frost, representing central Florida, also shared online resources for impacted federal workers.

Workers needing assistance with food may benefit from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the Treasure Coast Food Bank.