At the end of October, I reported on the government shutdown and imminent pause of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which took effect on November 1. Since that article was published, a lot has happened.
To recap, the United States government has been shut down since October 1. As of November 11, this is the longest government shutdown in United States history– though it may be ending soon, as the US House is returning to vote on a recently passed Senate bill to end the shutdown.
In regards to SNAP, there has been confusion surrounding the November benefits. In the weeks immediately following the shutdown, states began suing the federal government in the hopes of getting SNAP benefits reinstated. Most notably, the state of Rhode Island sued and requested partial November benefits to be released. And they were, for a very short window of time.
On November 3, the Trump Administration announced that approximately $4.5 billion would be used to partially fund the SNAP program. This was great news for the millions of Americans, mostly families with small children, who rely on SNAP to survive. On November 6t, the U.S. District Court Judge for Rhode Island, Jack McConnell, ordered the Trump Administration to fully fund SNAP, and that same day, many states began issuing full SNAP benefits for November.
This is when it gets confusing. Two days later, on November 8, the United States Department of Agriculture told states across the country to undo everything they had just done to issue November’s benefits.
All of this is incredibly boggling, regardless of whether you use SNAP benefits or not. It does show, however, just how important SNAP benefits are to the United States. As a reminder: in 2022, 733,866 Tennesseans received SNAP benefits, 309,095 of them were children. When children don’t receive adequate nutrition, they suffer in school. Studies, time and time again, have shown that poor nutrition impacts a child’s education and ability to focus.
Political beliefs aside, we as Americans have a duty to ensure that the future generation of Americans can succeed, no matter the circumstances they live in. I encourage you, if you are able this holiday season, to donate to a food pantry– either with non-perishable goods, your time, or monetarily. It’s as simple as remembering the Golden Rule: “do unto others as you wish to be done to you.” Make time to help others this holiday season.
