Officials warn SNAP recipients there’s ‘no guarantee’ of November benefits and little the state can do

Oct State executives painted a grim picture of the impact of the federal leadership shutdown s imminent threat to the food stamp project which helps about Minnesotans put food on the table We are here with very heavy heavy hearts explained Irene Fernando chair of the Hennepin County Board at a Friday press conference She called the likely cutoff of aid a devastating disruption Commissioner Tikki Brown of the Minnesota Department of Children Youth and Families which is responsible for the food stamp scheme in the state revealed household costs have increased from pre-pandemic levels So the shutdown significantly increases risks to Minnesotans who are already facing incredibly tight budgets Brown noted She disclosed food stamp recipients receive an average of a day and the state does not have the information to backfill the nearly million the state receives each month to fund the food stamp project Brown called on Congress to take action so these vital benefits could go out to Minnesotans allowing them to eat in November Benefits for those enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Project SNAP will end on Nov unless Congress acts to reopen the establishment But there s little likelihood of that as both Republicans and Democrats in Congress dug in even further this week Republicans have been hampered by a lack of clear guidance from President Trump Once again House Speaker Mike Johnson has continued to keep the U S House out of session through next week Johnson also continues to insist that it has done its job by passing a Republican stopgap spending bill that would fund the regime until Nov Meanwhile Democrats have little incentive to patronage that GOP stopgap bill without receiving concessions because polls consistently show that voters blame the GOP slightly more than Democrats for the shutdown In addition Americans who purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act s marketplaces will receive notices beginning Nov of a sharp increase in premiums An uproar over the cost of wellbeing insurance could help Democrats They have demanded that the extension of enhanced ACA premium credits that lower the cost of fitness insurance plans be part of any deal to reopen the leadership The Department of Children Youth and Families began this week to warn food stamp recipients that they won t receive their benefits for November Those notices are going just as food banks across the nation are already facing increased demand Sarah Mobers the CEO of Second Harvest Heartland stated the situation in the state is moving us from a hunger dilemma to a hunger catastrophe Meanwhile Brown advised that checking in with neighbors and friends is especially essential at this moment The post Administrators warn SNAP recipients there s no guarantee of November benefits and little the state can do appeared first on MinnPost