The approximate 3.4 million Texans who receive food assistance from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) will experience disruptions of their November benefits, as a result of the federal government shutdown.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) previously warned the public that SNAP benefits for November may not be issued on schedule if the shutdown extended beyond Monday, Oct. 27. This was confirmed by a statement on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website posted Monday, which read in part, “Bottom line, the well has run dry.” The message also blamed Senate Democrats, echoing sentiments expressed by Republicans and officials from the Trump administration.

While the USDA has a contingency plan for providing SNAP benefits in certain situations, the plan is reportedly subject to legal and funding constraints. In a letter shared with several outlets including USA TODAY, the agency said contingency money is available only “to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits.” Because the regular benefits were not set aside, the USDA says the fund cannot support them for this fiscal year.

The USDA also said that states could not pay for residents’ SNAP benefits and be reimbursed, even if they agree to do so.

While October’s benefits were distributed as usual, the HHSC will run out of the funding needed to issue next month’s benefits. Of the 3.4 million Texans who receive SNAP benefits, 1.7 million are children.

The HHSC encourages SNAP recipients to “continue to report changes and follow instructions and deadlines for renewing benefits.”

While federal food assistance has paused, food banks around Texas continue to operate and help those facing food insecurity. This includes the Central Texas Food Bank.

“If your paycheck is on hold, your access to food doesn’t have to be,” the nonprofit’s website says. “The Central Texas Food Bank and our partners are here to help.”

The food bank also lists the following rights for those who receive food from a Food Bank partner:

Will Social Security, other social services be affected by the government shutdown?

No, it’s unlikely the government shutdown will delay or reduce Social Security payments. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has contingency systems requiring the issue of payments on time as soon as the data is available.

Other assistance programs, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Medicaid; and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) also remain unaffected by the shutdown.