With federal food assistance set to lapse on November 1, an estimated 42 million Americans could struggle to afford groceries, sparking a political firestorm in Washington. Democratic leaders are accusing the Trump administration of deliberately engineering the crisis to gain leverage in ongoing budget negotiations.
Why it matters: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, is a vital safety net for millions of low-income families, children, seniors, and veterans. Democrats argue the looming halt in benefits is not a financial necessity, but a political maneuver designed to force concessions in government funding talks.
At a press conference Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) condemned the decision in blistering terms. “Trump is weaponizing hunger,” he said. “He’s turning millions of children, seniors, and veterans into political pawns. These people are losing their benefits not because the money’s gone, but because Donald Trump ordered it stopped.”
Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, echoed those concerns, stating: “Refusing to use appropriated funds is against the law. Plain and simple.”
Driving the news: A coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), claiming it is unlawfully withholding money that could keep benefits flowing. The suit points out that this marks the first-ever freeze in SNAP’s six-decade history, even though the USDA reportedly holds $6 billion in contingency funds that could be used to sustain aid.
The filing also highlights another pool of money previously tapped by the USDA to fund the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program earlier this month — suggesting that similar flexibility exists for SNAP but is being ignored.
Adding to the controversy, an internal shutdown plan once posted on the USDA’s website (and later removed) outlined how these contingency funds could, in fact, be used to continue benefits during a funding lapse.
Zoom out: During the 2018–2019 government shutdown, Trump’s administration kept SNAP operational by drawing from contingency funds. Why the current administration has reversed that approach remains unclear, leaving millions of families uncertain about how they’ll feed themselves come November.