WASHINGTON — If the government shutdown lasts into November, more than 750,000 Alabamians could miss out on food assistance.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is set to run out of money in less than a week if the federal government’s funding lapse stretches into next month, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has warned.
In Alabama, the Department of Human Resources, which oversees the program, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But Carol Gundlach with Alabama Arise said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has notified Alabama and all states that there is not enough money for November benefits.
Gundlach, who has been doing advocacy work for more than 30 years, said she’s never seen a situation like this.
“We are real aware that what is kind of going on is a tug of war in Washington that is pitting food assistance against health assistance, and that is really unfair,” she told Alabama Daily News. “People need their health care, and people need their food assistance. They need both.”
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told reporters last week that Russ Vought, the White House budget director, told her at the White House’s Senate GOP lunch that “SNAP benefits will run out by the end of this month.”
“So this is absolutely asinine that you would think that now is the time to hold the American people hostage,” she said.
On Friday, U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham and Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, joined their Democratic colleagues in a letter to urge the USDA to use funding from SNAP’s contingency reserve to cover November benefits.
“For so many, SNAP means the difference between a hot meal and going to bed hungry,” Sewell said in a statement. “The fact that President Trump and Congressional Republicans would rather take food away from hungry families than work with Democrats to end this shutdown is shameful but not surprising.”
Gundlach also said she’s urging Alabamians to contact Sens. Britt and Tommy Tuberville, asking them to tell Rollins to use the emergency funds to cover SNAP.
But on Friday, a USDA memo obtained by Axios said the department can’t legally use the contingency fund for SNAP benefits during the shutdown, as it’s only for emergencies “like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, that can come on quickly and without notice,” the outlet reported.
In a statement to Alabama Daily News, a USDA spokesperson said, “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.”
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, according to Healthcare.gov.
If funding for the food aid program is resolved before November, it’s unclear how fast benefits will be distributed to beneficiaries.
About 750,000 Alabamians receive food assistance through SNAP, including 500,000 families with children, 300,000 families with older adults or disabled people, and 24,000 Alabama veterans, according to Alabama Arise.
A family of four in Alabama qualifies for SNAP if its net income per month is less than $2,600. The average monthly benefit per person is about $121, according to ADHR.
Bills in the House and Senate have been introduced to fund the food assistance program during the funding lapse, but both chambers would need to pass and get the president to sign one before November to save the benefits in time.
Alabama food banks are preparing to help meet the growing need if SNAP runs out of money, but it will be challenging.
“There is no way food banks can fill that void,” Gundlach told ADN. “They’re gearing up.”
The shutdown is guaranteed to stretch until at least Monday, when senators are set to return to Washington. The House will remain out of session. But a deal to break the impasse is nowhere to be found.