The continued government shutdown could interrupt food aid for 700,000 Tennesseans, putting beneficiaries at risk of missed meals and impossible finances.
The federal account that pays for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — otherwise known as SNAP, food stamps or EBT — is close to running dry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issues that money on the first of the month. The agency is warning states that November issuances might not come.
Because federal law guarantees those benefits to anyone eligble, the money would show up eventually. But even short delays can cause major problems.
Timmeshia Fleming is a mother of three in Nashville who has used SNAP benefits off and on for years. She said interruptions and delays mean money has to go to food instead of other bills. It’s especially harrowing when it comes without ample warning — like this delay would.
“A lot of people look forward for their food stamps to be coming,” she said. “And when you take that away, a lot of people cannot pay for rent, and pay the car note, and pay for food.”
Navigating that, even for a while, she says, puts undue stress on the little ones. That’s especially true with rising grocery prices. NPR reports costs have increased by about 30% since 2020.
“Your kids are asking, ‘Mom, why are you putting that back? We don’t have any money?'” she said. “A child should never know what you’re going through.”
Fleming’s own children aren’t the only ones on her mind.
“We worry about how the kids are going to eat,” she said. “We worry about the kids going into stores, stealing food because they’re hungry.”
Signe Anderson, who oversees nutrition advocacy for the Tennessee Justice Center, talked about another risk of shifting budgets.
“Oftentimes, we hear from clients who are skipping medicine or picking up their prescriptions because they need the money to pay for food,” she said. The organization is offering advice to potential and current beneficiaries.
She said even during the shutdown and potential disbursement delay, anyone who is eligible should fight the urge to wait it out.
“You are eligible for those benefits from the date of application, so people should continue to apply,” she said.
Anderson is also telling clients that Congress can find stop gap funding, and did during the most recent shut down. She’s urging them to call their representatives.
The Food Action Resource Center is an advocacy organization that focuses on nutrition and poverty. In a message to the USDA, its SNAP director Gina Plata-Nino wrote that the budget plugs have been somewhat common.
“Historically, both Republican and Democratic administrations found ways to sustain SNAP during budget crises and shutdowns in 2013, 2018-2019, and the almost shutdown in 2023, by using contingency funds, carryover appropriations, and short-term adjustments,” she wrote. “The authority remains intact. What is missing is the political will to prioritize the families, children, older adults, and workers who rely on SNAP to get the nutrition they need.”
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