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Overall, this affects not only SNAP, but also WIC, federal workers, food banks, senior citizens, and grocery stores.
By G. A. McNeeley
October 22, 2025 (California) -- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the critical food assistance program, being halted is one of the biggest impacts of the ongoing government shutdown, and it’s about to affect tens of millions of the poorest Americans. Several states are warning that they’ll be forced to suspend SNAP benefits by November 1 if the shutdown continues, according to ABC News.
SNAP, also referred to as "food stamps," serves about 42 million low-income Americans. The program, run by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, issues electronic benefits that can be used like cash to purchase food.
Governor Gavin Newsom warned on Monday, October 20, that millions of low-income Californians who rely on public assistance to feed their families may be unable to access food benefits next month because of the federal government shutdown, according to POLITICO.
What Should You Know About SNAP and CalFresh?
California, with 5.5 million beneficiaries, is one of several states that received warnings from the USDA about how money for November might not be deposited on their SNAP cards. Newsom said that if the government isn’t reopened by Thursday, October 23, those November benefits will likely be delayed, according to POLITICO.
“Trump’s failure to open the federal government is now endangering people’s lives and making basic needs like food more expensive — just as the holidays arrive,” Newsom said, in a statement. “It is long past time for Republicans in Congress to grow a spine, stand up to Trump, and deliver for the American people.”
In California, the food assistance program is also known as CalFresh, and it runs through the state Department of Social Services. On Monday, October 20, the department began warning counties to “prepare for this impact.” More than 63 percent of CalFresh participants are children or seniors, according to the department. Each month, the state issues over $1 billion in federal funds through CalFresh, according to POLITICO.
Those payments help low-income individuals and families pay for food at their local grocery stores, with an EBT card they can use on qualifying items. For recipients, the average monthly household benefit is $189, according to Newsweek.
Benefits for October have already been distributed, but those who applied to the program between October 16 and October 31 won’t receive assistance for the second-half of the month, as well as November, according to CalMatters.
In a letter sent to state health officials earlier this month, Ronald Ward, the acting head of SNAP, warned that "if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation,” according to ABC News.
SNAP has traditionally been entirely federally funded, but it’s administered by states. That means the shutdown's impact on SNAP benefits starting to dry up will vary state by state.
Recipients of California’s separate food benefits program for eligible noncitizens who can’t receive federal aid, known as the California Food Assistance Program, should also expect delays, according to CalMatters.
How Is The WIC Program Being Affected?
Earlier this month, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) received $300 million from The White House to help support the program through October 31, amid the shutdown, but states are projected to run out of funds as early as next month, according to ABC News.
WIC, which helps more than 7 million low-income mothers, young children and expectant parents get nutritious foods, is on the verge of running out of money as early as November 1, unless the government reopens or receives additional emergency funding. The White House previously said it would use tariff revenue to pay for WIC benefits.
National WIC Association CEO Georgia Machell, said in a statement on Tuesday, October 21, that "without additional funding, State WIC Agencies may be forced to take drastic measures that prevent families from accessing the services they need, such as halting food benefits. This would directly jeopardize the health and nutrition of millions of mothers, babies, and young children,” according to ABC News.
How Are Federal Workers and Food Banks Being Affected?
The ongoing government shutdown is creating additional stress on social service programs, which are now bracing for an increased need, including from people who don’t normally rely on their support, according to NBC News.
Food banks from coast to coast were already seeing an uptick in visits from federal workers who were either furloughed or are currently working without pay. They’re also preparing for an additional influx from Americans who rely on federal food benefit programs, such as SNAP and WIC, which are set to run out of funding at the end of the month.
Craig Rice, CEO of Manna Food Center in Maryland, told NBC Washington that “when food banks serve families, it's usually a 1-to-9 ratio, so one meal provided by food banks versus nine provided by SNAP dollars. If those SNAP dollars get cut in half, that would mean that a local food bank quadruples their output just to meet that need.”
Manna Food Center serves a significant federal workforce population, and the ongoing shutdown has forced them to make additional preparations to meet the increased need, according to NBC News.
“We're going to be adding emergency bags so federal government employees will be able to come and ask for emergency assistance, and we’ll be able to assist them,” Rice added, according to NBC Washington.
The ongoing federal government shutdown prompted Newsom to set aside $80 million in state support and deploy the California National Guard to assist food banks, according to CalMatters.
Newsom unveiled the move on Wednesday, October 22, after the California Department of Social Services began notifying counties to prepare for the possibility that federally-funded food benefits could be disrupted.
In San Diego County, which has the highest military population in the state, local food banks are adding pop-up food banks, because of the ongoing shutdown, to help combat food insecurity among the county’s armed service members and federal employees, according to CalMatters.
How Are Senior Citizens and Grocery Stores Being Affected?
Royal Palmer’s Driftless Market & Deli in Platteville, Wisconsin, serves older local shoppers on fixed incomes, and those who rely on food aid to afford nutritious meals. SNAP supports more than 11 million adults who are 50 and older, according to AARP.
However, because of the ongoing government shutdown, Palmer has been unable to renew his store’s retailer license with the USDA, which allows the market to accept benefits under SNAP.
Calls to the service hotline are met with an automated voicemail saying no new applications are being processed or updated until the government reopens. The USDA says that most federal workers who cover food and nutrition services are furloughed until a budget deal is reached, according to AARP.
Palmer can’t accept federal food assistance funds right now, so he’s allowed some of his regulars “to open up lines of credit or a tab,” according to AARP. “If they’re on SNAP benefits, my thought is they’re in a financial situation where they qualify for that, and I don’t want to be a burden by not being able to take it.”
Though some generous community members have offered to pay customers’ tabs after hearing about the market’s situation, “it’s just not a sustainable thing,” Palmer says, according to AARP. SNAP payments account for about a third of the market’s transactions.
If the lapse continues, Palmer says he might have to set limits on the number of tabs he can take on. Already, he estimates it’s up to a few thousand dollars’ worth of credit.
Palmer says a prolonged shutdown and financial stressors could hamper his store’s ability to support the local community, especially when it comes to older customers who depend on the market for its healthy offerings and convenient location, according to AARP.
Joint Statement from Meals On Wheels and NANASP
On Wednesday, October 1, Meals On Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander, and National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP) Executive Director Bob Blancato, issued a joint statement in response to the government shutdown.
“9 out of 10 Meals on Wheels providers receive federal funding, and for more than 60%, that funding represents half or more of their total budget,” they said. “Given these programs already operate on razor thin margins and have limited reserve funds to draw upon in emergency situations, any delay in receiving federal funding reimbursements for meals and services delivered could force them to halt meal services, add to already long waitlists, scale back delivery days or close their doors entirely.”
“While the exact impact will depend on the length of a shutdown and will vary by provider, we want to be extremely clear: a shutdown puts seniors’ health – and, for some, even their lives – at risk, underscoring that once again they are being overlooked by our government,” they added.
Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/snap-benefits-warning-issued-in-california-10913811
https://calmatters.org/newsletter/calfresh-government-shutdown/
https://www.aarp.org/advocacy/government-shutdown-older-americans/
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