Pennsylvania SNAP benefits halted as government shutdown continues
Karen Mansfield
Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians who depend on food assistance will not receive their November SNAP payments due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services announced that benefits from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) would not be sent out to recipients until the shutdown ends.
“Starting October 16, SNAP benefits will not be paid until the federal government shutdown ends and funding is released to Pennsylvania,” the agency said on its website.
Without the federal payments, an estimated $366 million in monthly SNAP payments will pause for Pennsylvania’s vulnerable families who rely on it.
Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, Fayette County has the second-highest percentage of populations benefitting from SNAP, at 24.3%, according to DHS data. Philadelphia has 30.2% of its population using SNAP, while Greene County ranks sixth at 20.2%. In Washington County, 12.9% of the population relies on SNAP, ranking 46th among counties.
SNAP recipients will be notified when payments can resume and when future payments can be expected.
The U.S. The Department of Agriculture sent a letter on Oct. 10 to all state directors of SNAP directing them to “hold” on sending all November payments to retailers that participate in the program.
Signed by Sasha Gersten-Paal, SNAP program development director, the letter said there would be “insufficient funds” to pay SNAP benefits if the shutdown continued through October.
SNAP is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net, and the pause in benefits will be a blow to families, seniors, and children who depend on it, food banks say. Roughly 42 million Americans – about 1 in 8 U.S. citizens – rely on SNAP.
“SNAP is our nation’s first line of defense against hunger. It provides critical support to families in need, and without it, the charitable food network simply cannot meet the scale of demand on its own,” said Christa Johnson, communications specialist for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Johnson encouraged people in need of food to visit pittsburghfoodbank.org/findfood or to call 211 to find help.
DHS also urged recipients in need of food assistance to visit the Feeding Pennsylvania website of the PA Navigate website.
Democrats are demanding that an extension of Obamacare subsidies slated to expire at the end of the year be tied to any budget deal, while Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump are refusing those terms.
DHS is also reminding residents that they are still responsible for completing renewals and reporting any changes to their income, contact information, or the people living in their home during the shutdown.
A congressional bill passed in July – which is expected to cut SNAP spending by up to 20% by 2034 – will result in further changes to SNAP benefits.
Beginning Nov. 1, to keep or become eligible for SNAP benefits, certain people will have to meet SNAP requirements that include working, volunteering, or participating in an education or training program for at least 20 hours a week (or 80 hours each month) and report that they are meeting these work requirements.
If SNAP recipients are not meeting this requirement, they will be limited to three months of SNAP benefits for a three-year period.
The expanded work requirements will apply to those between 18 and 64 years old, who do not have a dependent child under 14 years old, and are considered physically and mentally able to work.