EL PASO, Tx., October 29, 2025: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, formerly known as food stamps, will end on Saturday, unless Texas officials intervene before then. Texas officials had previously said that unless the federal shutdown ended on Monday, Texas SNAP benefits would not be available starting Saturday.
Around 3.5 million Texans depend on SNAP benefits to keep them from going hungry. The food benefits in Texas are around $617 million a month. Since the federal shutdown did not end on Monday, there are no plans in Texas to issue additional food benefits. Texas officials had previously said “SNAP benefits will not be issued if the federal government shutdown” extended beyond October 27.
Yesterday, in a statement, Texas Governor Greg Abbott told Houston’s KPRC 2 that “there’s a simple and immediate solution” to restoring SNAP payments – if Senate Democrats “immediately end their government shutdown by approving legislation” that the House has already approved. Abbott was referring to federal legislation that does not address ending healthcare benefits that the Democrats are demanding. Abbott’s statement added that low-income Texans should dial 211 to receive information about food and other services. Abbott also wrote that Texas WIC provides food for children five and under and that Thriving Texas Families can help pregnant women.
According to the Texas Health and Human Service’s latest data for September, there are 67,222 El Paso households with 143,415 El Pasoan who are receive SNAP benefits. The benefits include 16,362 El Pasoans younger than five years old. This translates to around $23.7 million in economic activity each month. Each beneficiary receives around $353 each month for food.
Analysis of the Texas Health and Human Services SNAP benefits, 2022 through 2025. December figures used for years 2022 through 2024, and September figures were used for 2025. El Paso Herald Post/Martín Paredes
The number of El Pasoans and families have largely remained steady since 2022 while the monthly total payments have increased since 2023.
Analysis of the Texas Health and Human Services SNAP benefits, 2022 through 2025. December figures used for years 2022 through 2024, and September figures were used for 2025. El Paso Herald Post/Martín Paredes
Saturday’s end to SNAP benefits impacts El Paso’s economy across several sectors starting with charities who must fill the food needs of low-income El Pasoans until SNAP benefits are restored.
The Economic Impact of SNAP Payments
In addition to the financial impact the end of SNAP has on local charities, the lack of spending on food also impacts local jobs and the local economy. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, each dollar spent on SNAP benefits creates an additional $1.54 in El Paso’s economy.
In Texas, SNAP benefits generated $10.73 billion in economic activity in 2024. It also created around 94,000 jobs in the state. For El Paso, the economic impact is around $35.5 million each month.
SNAP benefits are used at local stores to purchase food. As local grocery stores see a reduction in food purchases, it can lead to less work hours being allocated to their employees, further stressing the local economy. The stores located in low-income neighborhoods are the first to suffer the loss of income. Adding to the local economic stress are families reallocating their incomes away from discretionary spending towards food needs for their families, further reducing local economic activity.
The end of SNAP benefits could also lead to further stress on local public health services and higher medical expenses at the University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) as people seek healthcare from the lack of nutrition. UMC is taxpayer supported.
It is the ripple effect of the loss of food expenditures that exacerbates the local economy more because the loss of $23.6 million in monthly economic activity impacts El Pasoans beyond the low-income. Each month without SNAP benefits adds to the economic stress on the charities and increases taxpayer-funded health services while reducing the money spent at local stores.
Yesterday 26 states filed suit against the US Department of Agriculture and other US federal agencies in a Massachusetts District Court demanding that the food benefits be reinstated. Texas was not included in the lawsuit, while New Mexico is a plaintiff in it.
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