This Saturday, anguish reaches 42 million people in the United States — including 10 million Latinos — who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), due to the possibility that this federal aid will run out of funds because of the budget shortfall caused by the government shutdown.
Although two federal judges issued a ruling on Friday afternoon ordering the Republican administration to use emergency funds to maintain the subsidies, it is still unclear if that aid will end up being distributed.
In a message on the Truth platform, President Trump indicated that the subsidies will only be delivered if he obtains the appropriate “legal guidelines” from the judiciary, and warned that delays will likely occur.
This Saturday, the start of a new month, the poorest Americans —who receive an average of $332 per family in aid— face the possibility that this money, essential for many, will not reach their pockets. In recent days, calls and walk-in visits have reportedly increased by 50%.
Kandy Chimento, director of services, is concerned that the loss of this subsidy could create a domino effect: “If people don’t receive SNAP, they will have to use their money to feed their families, which means they will probably no longer be able to pay rent and could be evicted. However, she fears that community donations will also decrease because ‘people are having to tighten their belts’ due to the rising cost of living in the U.S.
“Money is tight”
In California, the outlook for SNAP beneficiaries is even more concerning: 5.5 million people in that state depend on this food assistance and may not receive it in November due to the government shutdown.
“I don’t know what we are going to do,” Ana Lilia García, a single mother of two children living with her elderly mother, told EFE. Her family receives about $600 monthly for food purchases, which has allowed them to sustain their home in a small one-bedroom apartment.
“Money is tight; I have two jobs, but they don’t cover our expenses,” explained García, while listing the payments that, she says, “have gone up a lot” in recent years.
“People are very down”
California, Texas, and Florida are the states with the highest number of beneficiaries, and 62% of them are families with children. On Friday afternoon, low-income families and the elderly arrived dejectedly and silently at food banks in Miami, Florida’s second most populous city, amid uncertainty over the future of SNAP.
“People are very down, depressed, and at their lowest point,” Paco Vélez, president of the food bank Feeding South Florida (FSF), told EFE. The Department of Agriculture has ordered states not to use federal funds for SNAP as of today due to the shutdown.
“All food prices have gone up, but wages have not.” Vélez announced that they are already expanding the dimensions of the food bank’s “supermarket” to be able to handle the new wave of people expected in the coming weeks.
“We are serving about 150 people a day, compared to the usual 80 of recent months,” he detailed.
Beatriz, a Spaniard who has lived in Florida for many years, told EFE that the news was “a very strong blow to people’s wallets,” because “food is essential and prices are quite high.” For Emilia Ruiz, who has been coming to FSF with her husband for a year and a half, “it is very unpleasant news, because the country is in great need. Most live paycheck to paycheck,” she emphasized. Her organization, she added, is already making larger-than-usual purchases to prepare for the possible loss of federal subsidies.
“Domino Effect”
In Texas, the Hill Country Community Services organization has also seen an increase in the number of people seeking food. “Since the beginning of October until today, the number of people arriving at the pantry has doubled,” Vélez, FSF’s executive director, assured. Since the federal government shutdown, FSF has seen a greater influx of people. Kandy Chimento, director of services, attributes this increase to the impact of inflation and concern over the suspension of SNAP.
