SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits are about to be cut off due to the shutdown of the federal government leaving thousands of Arizona families without the resources they rely on to buy groceries. There is no set date, but it’ll likely be in early November.
And hunger doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s one of the strongest social determinants of health.
- Kids facing food insecurity struggle to focus and learn.
- Adults are more likely to experience chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
- Seniors often must choose between buying groceries or filling prescriptions.
In previous federal government shutdowns, the USDA used their contingency funds to keep benefits going. This time USDA says they’re unwilling to use that fund to keep benefits going (SNAP has about $6B in a contingency fund, enough to cover about 3 additional weeks).
Arizona’s food banks are already serving over 770,000 people each month, and that number will climb a lot when SNAP benefits stop in a couple weeks.
WIC appears to be in slightly better shape. ADHS (who administers WIC) says they have enough federal funds to cover benefits through mid-November.
Editorial Note: Residents of red states tend to earn less money on a per capita basis, have higher poverty rates, and rely more on federal programs like SNAP. These states also get more money back from the federal government than they send in taxes because more families there need help making ends meet.
That means a disproportionate number of folks who live in these “red states” depend on SNAP and other programs just to keep food on the table. So, it’s kind of puzzling, why would the majority in Congress push for cuts or allow a shutdown that stops these benefits and punish their own constituents (and especially their supporters)?
It sure makes you scratch your head.
