As a result of the federal government shutdown, SNAP payments will be halted nationwide on Nov. 1.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Note: The video is from October 17.
Nearly two million Pennsylvanians are set to lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on Saturday as the result of the federal government shutdown, Governor Josh Shapiro’s office said this week.
The Shapiro administration blames President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans for refusing to end the shutdown, which has stretched into its fourth week. The shutdown began when Congressional Republicans and Democrats could not agree to pass a bill funding government services past Oct. 1, when the previous federal budget expired.
As a result of the shutdown, SNAP payments will be halted nationwide on Nov. 1, Shapiro’s office said.
“If the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress fail to act, nearly two million Pennsylvanians — including more than 713,000 children and 697,000 older adults — could lose access to more than $366 million in monthly food assistance beginning Nov. 1,” Shapiro’s office said in a press release.
In Central Pennsylvania, nearly 261,000 residents receive SNAP benefits, according to data provided by the Shapiro administration.
Shapiro said Pennsylvania has joined 24 other states and Washington, D.C. in suing the Trump administration for “unlawfully suspending SNAP payments and failing to use billions in Congressionally approved contingency funds to continue benefits during the shutdown.”
Nearly one in eight Pennsylvanians depends on SNAP, which the Shapiro administration said, “provides critical food assistance to low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and Department of Agriculture are coordinating with local food banks and community organizations to prepare for the potential disruption in benefits, Shapiro said.
The graphic below shows the percentage of SNAP recipients in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, based on the counties’ total population.