The United States is facing a crisis that could leave tens of millions of Americans without food assistance as the federal government shutdown drags into its 23rd day, with no resolution in sight. As the standoff in Washington continues, states are scrambling to find ways to support their most vulnerable residents, while food banks brace for a surge in demand that could overwhelm their already stretched resources.
On October 23, 2025, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin took the extraordinary step of declaring a state of emergency to help maintain food aid for the state’s residents. According to NPR, this move allows Youngkin to tap into emergency funds to assist more than 850,000 Virginians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. Without intervention, these benefits are set to run out on November 1, 2025, a date now looming large for families across the country.
Virginia’s action marks the first such emergency declaration by a state in response to the shutdown’s threat to food aid. But it’s hardly alone in its concerns. As Fox News Digital reports, more than two dozen states have already warned food aid recipients that their benefits may not be distributed next month if the federal shutdown continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has sounded the alarm, warning that approximately 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP could lose their benefits as soon as November 1.
The numbers are staggering. SNAP, the country’s largest anti-hunger program, serves about one in eight Americans, providing an average of $187 per person each month, according to NPR. The program supports a diverse group of recipients: children, working adults, older Americans, veterans, and people with disabilities. As Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, told NPR, "If the SNAP program shuts down, we will have the most mass hunger suffering we've had in America since the Great Depression."
For many, SNAP is the only direct financial assistance they receive. Other safety net programs, like cash welfare, have been dramatically reduced in recent decades, and Medicaid payments go directly to healthcare providers. "The only thing that really helps moderate income and low-income Americans meet their basic monthly expenses is the SNAP program," Berg emphasized. "And that's why it's so vital, not only in terms of fighting hunger, but just keeping tens of millions of Americans afloat each month."
The shutdown’s impact is not limited to Virginia. In Florida, state officials confirmed that nearly 3 million residents could lose access to food assistance next month if the impasse in Washington isn’t resolved, as reported by local news outlets. California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced the deployment of the state’s National Guard and fast-tracked $80 million to support food banks, measures reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Colorado’s governor has urged citizens to donate to food banks, and other states are considering similar emergency measures.
The crisis extends beyond SNAP. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides aid to nearly 7 million vulnerable pregnant women and children under age five, is also in jeopardy. The Trump administration recently reallocated $300 million from tariff revenues to keep WIC afloat temporarily, but these funds are expected to run out within weeks, according to Fox News Digital and NPR. As one USDA spokesperson told NPR, "We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. Continue to hold out for healthcare for illegals or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP allotments." (It should be noted, as NPR clarifies, that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for the Affordable Care Act.)
The roots of the current crisis lie in a bitter political standoff over federal spending and healthcare policy. Democrats have refused to consider any budget legislation that does not include an extension of COVID-era health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, warning that prices for consumers will spike if these subsidies expire at the end of the year. They have also called for a reversal of Republican-led cuts to Medicaid, a government health insurance program for low-income people, enacted earlier this year.
On the other side, Republicans argue that these issues can be addressed after the government reopens. House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital, "Millions of American families are about to lose access to food assistance because Democrats are openly admitting to being afraid of their far-left base and refuse to reopen the government." Democrats, meanwhile, point to the $5 billion in the USDA’s SNAP contingency fund as a possible temporary solution, though this is not enough to cover a full month’s worth of benefits. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters, "As has been the case in prior government shutdowns, the money can be found by the administration if they chose to do so. In fact, there's about $5 billion available in a contingency fund for emergency circumstances just like this."
But the reality is that SNAP requires about $8 billion every month to fund benefits nationwide, as Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World, explained to Fox News Digital. The USDA has already told states that payments are on hold "until further notice," and while temporary fixes have been attempted—such as moving Pentagon research funds to cover military paychecks—these measures are only stopgaps.
For recipients, the uncertainty is agonizing. Shari Jablonowski, a 66-year-old widow living outside Pittsburgh, is bracing for the loss of $291 in monthly food aid that her disabled nephew depends on. "This month, I could not afford to pay … anything, gas or electric," she told NPR. Instead, she prioritized her car payment, which she needs for doctor’s appointments and her niece’s job. If her nephew’s benefit disappears in November, she worries, "I am very concerned I will not have heat." And with Thanksgiving approaching, the timing couldn’t be worse.
States and food banks are preparing for a surge in demand, but advocates warn that even expanded charity efforts will be nowhere near enough to fill the gap left by billions in lost federal funding. As Katie Bergh, a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, told NPR, "SNAP still has billions of dollars in what are called contingency reserves." But she cautioned that this would not cover the entire need, and the agency could face legal and logistical hurdles in transferring additional funds.
Meanwhile, the shutdown is now the second-longest in U.S. history, and the prospect of a quick resolution seems remote. The Senate has failed to pass funding resolutions multiple times, and both parties continue to trade blame. For millions of Americans, the coming weeks will determine whether they can put food on the table—or whether the nation will see a wave of hunger not witnessed since the darkest days of the Great Depression.
As the clock ticks down to November 1, families, food banks, and state governments are all holding their breath, hoping for a breakthrough that will keep America’s safety net from unraveling.
