Democratic Mayors Prepare for Looming SNAP Cutoff

Local leaders said they are scrambling to fill the gap as the Senate rejected SNAP-specific funding and a federal judge weighed emergency relief.

A sign alerting customers about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits is displayed in a grocery store in the New York City borough of Brooklyn on Dec. 5, 2019. Scott Heins/Getty Images

Democratic mayors across the country said they are preparing emergency measures to help families at risk of losing food assistance as the federal government shutdown enters its fifth week and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are set to expire on Nov. 1.

On Oct. 30, the Democratic Mayors Association hosted a press call. Mayors from Alabama, Arizona, Ohio, and Pennsylvania described escalating strain locally and said city governments are being forced to fill a federal void.

“This is not something we want to do, but it’s necessary because ... as I’ve shared with our local community, food and nutrition is not a choice,” Randall Woodfin, mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, said.

Woodfin said he has asked the city council to approve up to $1 million in funding for food and nutrition programs, citing 23,000 families in Birmingham who rely on SNAP benefits. The money would be distributed through local nonprofits and churches already coordinating food drives and donations, he said.

In Arizona, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said roughly one in seven of her city’s residents faces food insecurity, and that the city is anticipating increased demand for emergency food boxes.

“Most people who receive SNAP are children and people with disabilities,” Romero said. She said the city is working with Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, who announced that she has deployed $1.5 million in state funds for food banks, and that Tucson is exploring “no disconnect” policies for utilities and short-term loans to help families cover basic needs.

In Pennsylvania, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said her city is accelerating its annual “Heart of Scranton” fundraiser to support food pantries after seeing “a one-two punch” of frozen federal funding and lower charitable contributions.

“We shouldn’t have to be left holding the bag here in our communities,” Cognetti said, noting that the city had been getting messages from every corner of Scranton, with some people asking how to help and others where to go if their benefits run out on Nov. 1.

In Washington, the Senate on Oct. 28 blocked a bill by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) that would have funded SNAP through the shutdown.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) called the measure a “ruse,” saying that Democrats were seeking political cover instead of ending the month-long shutdown.

Thune said the bill failed to pay troops, law enforcement officers, and other essential workers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Republicans were “afraid of President [Donald] Trump” and would be responsible if food aid lapsed.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said it cannot tap its $5 billion contingency fund to extend benefits because the money is restricted to supplementing appropriated funds, not replacing them entirely. A memo obtained by The Epoch Times states that the fund “is not available to support [fiscal year] 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists.”

President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Oct. 29, said Republicans would “get it done” and blamed Democrats, the majority of whom have repeatedly rejected a stopgap bill that would have temporarily extended funding at current levels to reopen the government, for the impasse.

“The Democrats have caused the problem,” he said, noting that negotiations must include discussions on “fixing health care” and the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are key concerns for Democrats. The Affordable Care Act is former President Barack Obama’s health care law, known as Obamacare. Trump said he is willing to meet with them once they agree to reopen the government.

A federal judge in Boston, Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, is weighing whether to order USDA to use those contingency funds to prevent a total lapse in benefits. During an Oct. 30 hearing, she said the government should find a way to “at least partially” fund SNAP, saying that it is “hard to understand that this is not an emergency.” Twenty-five states have sued to compel the agency to act.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) maintains that using the fund for SNAP would be illegal under the Antideficiency Act, which bars spending without an appropriation. USDA said the reserves are already being used to cover school meals and infant-nutrition programs.

SNAP supports roughly 42 million Americans each month, or about one in eight people nationwide, and benefits are set to lapse on Nov. 1.