Government shutdown affects SNAP benefits
State health officials say food aid could be cut off for millions of people if the government doesn’t reopen in the coming days.
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Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is nearly depleted and the government shutdown continues, leaving millions of Americans without food aid in November.
SNAP, also known as food stamps, is a federal program that provides monthly benefits to low-income people to help them access healthy food.
The program, which is paid for by the federal government, provides monthly benefits, so the funding shortfall did not affect recipients in October.
But with no end in sight, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the program, said it had no funds available to issue SNAP benefits on Nov. 1. That’s why some Democratic-led states are suing President Donald Trump’s administration to stop the SNAP program.
Despite the shutdown plan saying the USDA has an emergency fund available for direct payments to beneficiaries, the agency said the emergency fund cannot be used because regular benefits have not yet been allocated, according to a letter shared with USA TODAY on Monday, Oct. 27.
Who will feel the effects of losing SNAP benefits? Let’s take a look at the data here.
How many Americans are on SNAP, or food stamps?
According to the USDA, more than 42 million people in more than 22 million households relied on monthly SNAP benefits during fiscal year 2025.
In total, about 12 percent of the U.S. population of more than 342 million people use the benefits.
How many adults and children rely on food stamps?
According to USDA’s 2023 Report on the SNAP Program, the most recent annual data, the largest age group of people who took advantage of benefits was adults ages 18 to 59.
However, the data shows that about 39% of those receiving benefits were children.
View the number of SNAP recipients by state
According to USDA data for May 2025, the states receiving the most monthly benefits are California, Texas, and New York. See the complete state-by-state breakdown.
How much money do SNAP recipients receive?
According to the USDA, the average monthly benefit per person for the SNAP program in fiscal year 2025 was $190.59. The average monthly benefit for a household totaled $356.41.
However, the exact amount each SNAP recipient receives each month varies from person to person, depending on income and household size.
Millions more rely on WIC and other programs
SNAP is the nation’s largest food assistance program, accounting for about 70% of USDA’s nutrition assistance spending in fiscal year 2024, according to the agency.
However, there are many other food assistance programs run by the government, including:
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program serves at-risk children under age 5 and pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding individuals.
- According to USDA, WIC served approximately 6.7 million participants each month in fiscal year 2024, including an estimated 41% of all young children in the United States.
- The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free school lunches to children.
- According to USDA, NSLP served more than 4.8 billion lunches in fiscal year 2024.
The impact of the government shutdown on WIC, NSLP, and other government-sponsored programs varies by program.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
