MD SNAP Benefits Won't Go Out In November, Officials Confirm

Maryland residents who receive federal food aid won’t get their November benefits as the ongoing federal shutdown continues, the Department of Agriculture has announced.

The Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. That program helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries.

“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA notice says. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”

Nationally, more than 62 percent of nearly 41.7 million SNAP participants are in families with children; 37 percent are in families with members who are older adults or disabled; and more than 38 percent are in working families, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

An analysis of USDA Food and Nutrition Service data by the non-partisan research group that focuses on federal and state policies to reduce poverty and inequality also shows that 693,500 Maryland residents receive SNAP benefits. That’s 11 percent of the state population (1 in 9) who depend on benefits to keep food on the table.

According to the data, more than 59% of SNAP participants in Maryland are in families with children; more than 32% are in families with members who are older adults or are disabled; and more than 39% are in working families.

Data from 2023 shows that 10.4% of Maryland households were “food insecure,” meaning that their access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources. An estimated 85% of eligible individuals participated in SNAP in Maryland in pre-pandemic 2020. Prior to that, SNAP lifted 80,000 people above the poverty line in Maryland, including 39,000 children, per year between 2015 and 2019, on average. (These figures adjust for households’ underreporting of benefits.)

The current federal government shutdown, which started Oct. 1, is now the second-longest on record. While the Republican administration took steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits were paid this month, the cutoff would expand the impact of the impasse to a wider swath of Americans — and some of those most in need — unless a political resolution is found in just a few days.

The prospect of families not receiving food aid has deeply concerned states run by both parties.

Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia pledged to keep food aid flowing to recipients in their states, even if the federal program is stalled next month because of the government shutdown.

Other states’ attempts to use their own funds to support the program have faced technical hurdles, and it's uncertain if the three new plans can overcome these.

On Oct. 1, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced a series of actions to help Marylanders impacted by the federal shutdown. The Emergency Food Assistance Program TEFAP provides emergency food assistance to families in need through local food banks and food pantries.

If you live in Montgomery or Prince George’s counties, find a location nearest to you. If you live in any other area in Maryland, find resources using your address or zip code.

The 17 Community Action Agencies across Maryland also provide a range of safety net and basic needs assistance programs to people who are below 200% of the federal poverty level or are low-income – services include food pantries and nutrition assistance, basic needs assistance, childcare, aging services, healthcare services, workforce development, transportation and more.

Maryland Rep. April Delaney, a Democrat, on Fridahy teamed up with other federal legislators to send a letter to the USDA "urging Secretary Rollins to tap into the SNAP contingency reserve and prevent families from going hungry."

Democratic Congressman Glenn Ivey (MD-04) chastised the Trump administration on Sunday for withholding SNAP benefits for November.

"I am disgusted that the Trump administration has announced that it will illegally withhold available Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in November. The Trump administration is legally required to use a $5 billion emergency fund to make sure that not a single American goes hungry in November. The law does not allow them to weaponize hunger to push their extreme agenda, which includes their $186 billion cut from SNAP (anti-hunger) programs and their $1 trillion cut to Medicaid," Ivey said in a statement.

On Monday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, posted on X, "The Trump Admin found $20 billion to bail out Argentina but refuses to tap into a $6 billion reserve fund to provide vital food assistance to 42 million Americans. They’re using food and hunger as leverage as they hold the government hostage. Sickening."

Democratic Rep. Sarah Elfreth on Saturday volunteered at an Anne Arundel County food bank and encouraged others to volunteer, too, since the lack of SNAP benefits is expected to drive up demand at area food banks.

"Thank you to the staff and volunteers at the Anne Arundel and Howard County food banks who support our neighbors on their hardest days - including throughout this shutdown. I’m grateful my team and I could play a small part today in the critical services you provide for our communities. If you want to support our local food banks, consider making a donation — whether that’s food, money, or simply time," she posted on X.

Shortly after the shutdown was announced, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, posted on X, "Republicans have the keys to the kingdom. The White House. The Senate. The House. Tonight, they have used their power to shut down the government. The American people, including our patriotic federal workers, will pay the price for Republicans' callousness and incompetence."

Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, a Republican, blamed Democrats for the government shutdown on X.

"Senate Democrats once again blocked an end to the shutdown. We could have had the shutdown ended today if they had passed the legislation yesterday, but they chose, once again — for the twelfth time — not to end the shutdown," he posted on Friday.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.