Government Shutdown 2025: Will I Continue To Receive My SNAP Benefits?
Written by
T. Woods
Edited by
Amen Oyiboke
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It’s official: The U.S. government shut down as of Wednesday, Oct. 1, after Congress failed to agree upon federal funding extensions.
Despite the Republican Party currently controlling both chambers of Congress — the Senate and the House of Representatives — at least eight Democratic votes in the Senate are required to pass a funding bill. Democrats are insisting that any funding bill contain an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, which Republicans are refusing.
As a result, Congress was unable to pass the necessary measures to continue funding the federal government.
Is SNAP Part of the Government Shutdown?
This is the first government shutdown since 2018, which occurred during President Donald Trump’s first term and was the longest federal government shutdown in American history at 34 days. During the current 2025 shutdown, government agencies deemed critical to the protection of American lives and property will remain open.
There is, however, a great deal of uncertainty regarding many other federal agencies and programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a federal program that provides monthly funds to help non-to low-income Americans. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program is currently guaranteed funding through October.
Will October SNAP Benefits Be Sent Out on Time?
Yes. Those Americans who rely upon SNAP do not have to worry about receiving their October payments on time — per the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), the USDA provides a given month’s SNAP benefits to each individual state’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) vendor the month prior to disbursal. This means that the funds for October’s SNAP benefits were already sent out by the USDA in mid-September, prior to the government shutdown.
All Americans who are eligible for SNAP benefits in October will receive those benefits, in full and on time.
What About November 2025 SNAP Benefits and Beyond?
If the government shutdown continues beyond mid-October — when the USDA would typically disburse payments to each state’s EBT vendors for the following month — it is not yet clear when or how November SNAP benefits will be paid.
Currently, the USDA has not publicly released a contingency plan for a 2025 government shutdown. The SNAP website notes that “this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse.”
FRAC noted that “if a shutdown extends beyond mid-October, USDA could technically tap its contingency reserve funding to cover SNAP costs.” Under the Biden administration, that reserve amounted to $6 billion; however, public information about its current amount is not available, nor is it known if the Trump administration would opt to use it to continue disbursing SNAP benefits.
FRAC also raised another concern: “If USDA fails to instruct states to transmit the necessary electronic files on time, November SNAP benefits could be delayed or interrupted entirely. Each state operates on its own internal processing schedule to ensure the timely issuance of benefits. If a state misses its deadline to begin that process, delays are almost inevitable, leaving households without access to the food assistance they rely on.”
In short, it is not yet known how the current shutdown of the federal government will impact SNAP benefits in November and beyond. If Congress can come to an agreement and pass either an extension or a full measure for government funding within the next few weeks, the impact on November SNAP payments will likely be minimal. If the government were to stretch beyond the length of the previous 34-day shutdown, though, November benefits may be significantly delayed.
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