'The Well Has Run Dry': Minnesota SNAP Benefits Won't Go Out In November, Officials Confirm

ST. PAUL, MN — Minnesota 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.

The analysis of USDA Food and Nutrition Service data by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reveals that 453,900 Minnesota residents, approximately 8 percent of the state's population, or roughly 1 in 13, rely on SNAP benefits to afford food.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than 63 percent of Minnesota SNAP participants are in families with children, while over 37 percent are in households with older adults or people with disabilities. More than half, 52 percent, are in working families.

The program lifted an estimated 58,000 Minnesotans above the poverty line annually between 2015 and 2019, including 26,000 children. In 2024, participants in Minnesota received about $857 million in benefits, averaging $157 per household member each month, or just over $5 a day.

The shutdown, which began 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.

Resources for Minnesotans in food emergencies

• If you need food right away, find nearby food shelves at hungersolutions.org.
• Find more here.

Minnesota’s Department of Human Services oversees SNAP distribution statewide, with roughly 3,600 authorized retailers accepting benefits.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.