Civil

Partial SNAP Benefits For November Coming From Emergency Fund

In the midst of a federal government shutdown, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive only partial funding for its November distribution — leaving tens of millions of Americans, including many Black families, exposed to the risk of food insecurity.
#SNAP #FoodAssistance #HungerRelief #GovernmentShutdown #EmergencyFunding #BlackCommunities #EconomicJustice #SocialAndCivicWhirl #WashingtonDC #FederalAid

by April Ryan
NJG NewsWire
Black Press USA.
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Forty-two million Americans will receive partial SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits for November that were set to be frozen November 1 due to the federal government shutdown.

On Monday November 3, the Trump administration announced it would comply with rulings from two judges requiring the government to keep the nation’s largest food aid program running. The emergency funding from the government is $4.65 billion, about half of the $8-9 billion used monthly for the 1 in 8 Americans SNAP serves.

Esosa Osa of Onyx Impact, an organization that issues the BlackOut report, a comprehensive look at Black America, commented earlier on the SNAP freeze before the funding release.

“The SNAP cuts and federal furloughs hitting tomorrow are not isolated events – they are part of a broader campaign to erase our history, distort the truth, and suppress our futures,” Osa said.

“The disinformation that SNAP ‘only benefits Black people’ is a lie designed to divide and distract … But Black families are hit hardest when these lifelines are cut, because we are overrepresented in the jobs and communities targeted by these policies,” states the leader of the organization that issues the BlackOut report, a comprehensive look at Black America.

Osa concluded, “Our new Blackout report documents more than 15,000 direct attacks on Black lives and opportunity in just eight months, from slashing $3.4 billion in grants for Black health and education to deleting the very data that proves our needs.”

Meanwhile, some local and state governments are trying to fill in the nutrition gap, like Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. The District of Columbia will use local $29 million in contingent funds to ensure 85,000 residents receive their November SNAP benefits despite the federal government shutdown. And in neighboring Maryland, Governor Wes Moore has created $10 million in grants for food assistance.

The National breakdown of those impacted includes: CHILDREN:1 6 MILLION; SENIORS: 8 MILLION PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: 4 MILLION; VETERANS: 1.2 MILLION

According to reports in the Washington Post from a 2023 SNAP survey on percentages: Children (39 percent); Over 60 (20 percent); Disabled adults under 60 (9 percent); Full-time caregivers (7 percent); Other exemption from work requirements (9 percent); Full-time employment (5 percent); Other adults (13 percent).