As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, mass layoffs, missed paychecks and halted infrastructure projects have done little to sway congressional Democrats into reopening the federal bureaucracy.
But the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which they’ve long championed, is set to run out of funds in just over a week, which could change the shutdown’s trajectory.
The program, which is administered by the Agriculture Department, helps feed more than 40 million people. Beginning Nov. 1, at least 25 states plan to cut off benefits for recipients, including California, where 4.5 million people rely on SNAP to put food on the table.
With the launch of open enrollment for Affordable Care Act insurance plans in most states also occurring Nov. 1, the looming food aid crisis has largely gone unnoticed by Democrats, who remain focused on the expiration of federal healthcare subsidies.
On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., indicated that the imminent SNAP deadline would not change his party’s calculus.
SNAP Could Break Democrats’ Shutdown Resolve
