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

Rhode Island 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.

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

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The 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 144,200 Rhode Island residents were helped by SNAP. That’s 13% of the state population (1 in 8) who depend on benefits to keep food on the table.

According to the data, Most SNAP Participants in Rhode Island Have Incomes Below the Poverty Line.

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The data also shows that 9.7% of households were “food insecure,” meaning that their access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources, and 13.4% of children lived in families below the poverty line.

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.

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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.

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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.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.