By F\u00e9lice L\u00ea-Scherban, The Conversation via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program<\/a>, or SNAP, is the largest, most effective tool the U.S. has to reduce food insecurity. As of late 2025, it helps more than 42 million people \u2014\u00a0including 2 million Pennsylvanians<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0nearly half a million Philadelphians<\/a> \u2014 buy groceries.<\/p>\n But starting Nov. 1, 2025, Pennsylvania will stop distributing SNAP benefits due to the federal government shutdown, which\u00a0began Oct. 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n F\u00e9lice L\u00ea-Scherban, a\u00a0public health researcher<\/a>\u00a0and associate professor of epidemiology at Drexel University,\u00a0studies food insecurity<\/a>\u00a0among\u00a0low-income young children and their families<\/a>\u00a0in Philadelphia. The Conversation U.S. asked her about the program and what impact its suspension would have \u2013 especially in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n What is SNAP?<\/p>\n SNAP benefits \u2014 sometimes called food stamps<\/a> \u2014 are provided through a federally funded program administered by the states. The amount of help received depends on a family\u2019s income and the number and ages of the people in the household. Currently, benefits average\u00a0just over $6 per person per day<\/a>. In Pennsylvania, the monthly benefits are loaded onto participants\u2019\u00a0electronic benefits transfer cards<\/a>, or EBT cards, during the first 10 business days of each month.<\/p>\n Researchers have found that SNAP benefits\u00a0reduce poverty and food insecurity<\/a> \u2014 a term for when people don\u2019t have consistent access to enough food for all household members to lead active, healthy lives. It also contributes to\u00a0healthy growth and development in childhood<\/a>, and lower risks for obesity, diabetes, hypertension and poor mental health\u00a0later in life<\/a>.<\/p>\n Studies have also found that\u00a0when eligible families lose access to SNAP benefits<\/a>, even temporarily, they are more likely to get sick, and their children are at a greater risk of developmental delays.<\/p>\n Additionally, losing SNAP and similar benefits can\u00a0strain household finances<\/a>, forcing low-income people to choose between skipping meals or forgoing other basic needs like rent, utilities and prescription drugs.<\/p>\n How is the government shutdown affecting SNAP benefits in Pennsylvania?<\/p>\n The Department of Agriculture notified SNAP state agency directors in October that it would stop funding the program should the shutdown continue past Nov. 1. The federal agency\u00a0directed all states to withhold November benefits<\/a>\u00a0until further notice.<\/p>\n The USDA is taking this step even though it has\u00a0more than $5 billion<\/a>\u00a0in its coffers, which could fund approximately\u00a0two-thirds of what the nation spends each month<\/a>\u00a0on SNAP benefits.<\/p>\n In the more than\u00a060-year history<\/a>\u00a0of SNAP and the\u00a0programs that preceded it<\/a>, the USDA has never before\u00a0refused to spend contingency funds<\/a>\u00a0to disburse monthly benefits. During previous shutdowns, including the\u00a035 days in 2018-2019<\/a>, the federal government used the department\u2019s contingency funds to ensure SNAP wasn\u2019t interrupted.<\/p>\n On Oct. 17, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services\u00a0issued a statement<\/a>\u00a0to the more than\u00a02 million Pennsylvanians participating in SNAP<\/a>. It warned them that they won\u2019t receive their November benefits or any benefits thereafter until the USDA releases funds again.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania is also among 17 states that have\u00a0suspended approving new SNAP applications<\/a>\u00a0until the government reopens, leaving hundreds, if not thousands, of food-insecure families in a prolonged state of hardship.<\/p>\n This disruption is likely to rattle the broader economy. About 12% of U.S. grocery sales are\u00a0made with SNAP benefits<\/a>, and\u00a0over 9,800 supermarkets and other Pennsylvania retailers<\/a>\u00a0accept them.<\/p>\n What does this mean for people in Philadelphia?<\/p>\n There are\u00a0over 470,000 SNAP recipients in Philadelphia<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 3 in 10 Philadelphians \u2013 who will not receive these benefits until the government shutdown ends.<\/p>\n In the meantime, state agencies are urging people who get SNAP benefits to\u00a0visit food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens<\/a>, which are run by nonprofits and not the government. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that those organizations will be able to keep up. For every meal nonprofits provide,\u00a0SNAP provides nine<\/a>.<\/p>\n Additionally, the\u00a0Pennsylvania state budget impasse<\/a> \u2014 the Commonwealth has been without a budget for nearly four months \u2014 has already affected other state-run programs that food banks in Philadelphia<\/a>\u00a0rely on.<\/p>\n This is particularly troubling because even when receiving their full benefit, most people who are enrolled in SNAP across the country say that they frequently\u00a0struggle to afford a healthy diet<\/a>.<\/p>\n Low-income parents and guardians in Philadelphia, according to research I\u2019ve conducted and studies by my colleagues, say they strain to stretch their dollars to\u00a0feed their children amid rising food prices<\/a>, and sometimes\u00a0skip meals or delay paying bills<\/a>\u00a0when the benefit runs out before the end of the month.<\/p>\n A robust body of evidence has demonstrated the\u00a0serious mental and physical harm<\/a>\u00a0that food insecurity \u2013 even for short periods \u2013 causes across the lifespan. It can lead to\u00a0billions of dollars of avoidable costs<\/a>\u00a0due to health care and educational needs, and lost productivity.<\/p>\n How this disruption of SNAP and other nutrition programs increases food insecurity will be hard to measure. The\u00a0Trump administration has canceled<\/a>\u00a0the USDA\u2019s long-standing annual report on food security.<\/p>\n What can state and federal leaders do to fund the program?<\/p>\n The federal government and Pennsylvania lawmakers have options to at least restore some SNAP benefits in the state while the shutdown continues.<\/p>\n The USDA can reverse its earlier ruling and disburse its more than $5 billion in emergency funds and issue guidance that states should continue to accept and process new SNAP applications. This would help states provide at least\u00a0partial benefits to their residents enrolled in SNAP<\/a>\u00a0and ensure that new applicants get all the benefits they\u2019re eligible for.<\/p>\n The federal government can allocate discretionary and reserve funds to SNAP for the duration of the shutdown so benefits are not interrupted. The government did this with\u00a0Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children<\/a>, or WIC benefits, as well as\u00a0farm aid<\/a>\u00a0earlier this month.<\/p>\n The government of Pennsylvania and other state governments can pick up the costs of the program for November with their own state budget stabilization funds, also known as \u201crainy day funds<\/a>.\u201d Pennsylvania\u2019s rainy day fund holds\u00a0more than $7 billion<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 well above what\u2019s needed to cover its SNAP benefits for November.\u00a0Some states<\/a>\u00a0have already committed to doing this.<\/p>\n