The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is set to shut down temporarily for the first time in history, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown and the White House’s refusal to approve emergency funding.
The historic pause in benefits, due to go into effect on Saturday, Nov. 1, would leave roughly 42 million Americans without federal food assistance, hampering their ability to purchase groceries in the new month.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the United States Department of Agriculture said in a partisan message posted on its website.
“We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
SNAP RUNS OUT IN 4 DAYS.
— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) October 28, 2025
Absent Senate Democrats voting to reopen the government, nearly 42 million food stamp recipients will not receive their November benefit allotment. pic.twitter.com/RRDhjMr4GE
The Trump administration, which has curtailed SNAP and other welfare programs as part of its implementation of Project 2025 and this year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” blames the impending SNAP pause on Democrats amid a months-long partisan impasse in Washington over federal appropriations.
“This crisis could be resolved if Democrats prioritized the needs of the American people over political games,” the White House said on Monday.
Catholic advocates, including lay and espiscopal leaders, have responded to the shutdown with a call for bipartisan cooperation, lamenting the looming effects of the shutdown on Americans living in poverty.
“The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA, therefore, urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture to immediately use every available mechanism, including the utilization of contingency reserves, in order for the 42 million people who benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to be able to buy food next month,” said John Berry, who serves as national president of SVdP USA.
“As one of the largest nonpartisan, lay Catholic charitable organizations in the U.S. with more than 80,000 volunteers, it is not our role to take sides in a political fight. But it is our role and our duty to speak on behalf of the friends and neighbors we serve.”
The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Services, said the U.S. episcopate is “alarmed” that SNAP benefits could be interrupted—a fate never before seen in the program’s history.
“This would be catastrophic for families and individuals who rely on SNAP to put food on the table and places the burdens of this shutdown most heavily on the poor and vulnerable of our nation, who are the least able to move forward. This consequence is unjust and unacceptable.”
Archbishop Broglio Urges Funding of Lifesaving Programs and an End to Federal Government Shutdown
— U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (@USCCB) October 28, 2025
“As this government shutdown continues, the U.S. bishops are deeply alarmed that essential programs that support the common good, such as SNAP, may be interrupted.”
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With the federal shutdown entering its 29th day, Senate Democrats—who under Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York have repeatedly voted against a House-passed stopgap bill—maintain that the conflict is due to Republican intransigence on healthcare tax credits, which are due to expire in December.
“We are in a health care crisis and Republicans don’t even want to talk about how to fix it,” Schumer told Politico on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a bill from Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri would fund SNAP individually despite the shutdown, a measure that has gained support from Schumer and other Senate Democrats. A similar bill from Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico would fund both SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
Republican leaders in the Senate are not expected to bring either bill up for discussion or a vote this month.
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, a Black Catholic who leads Feeding America—the nation’s largest hunger relief organization—said lawmakers must come together to pass the legislation, especially as furloughed federal workers themselves face unprecedented food insecurity alongside other at-risk Americans.
“These programs are lifelines for children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who rely on them for healthy meals,” she said.
“Ensuring everyone in this country has enough to eat is a shared responsibility that transcends politics. We also call on Congress to reopen the government and restore stability for families, service members, and workers nationwide.”
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
