Nigeria TV Info – US Government Shutdown Halts Food Assistance for Over 40 Million Americans

Washington, USA (October 27, 2025) – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that food assistance for more than 40 million Americans will not be distributed starting November due to the prolonged federal government shutdown.

In an official notice on its website, the USDA stated, “Bottom line, the well has run dry,” blaming Senate Democrats for the political deadlock that has frozen funding.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), widely known as food stamps, supports roughly one in eight Americans and plays a critical role in many families’ grocery budgets. Earlier this month, the Trump administration opted not to use a contingency fund that could have extended benefits, citing the need to reserve those funds for emergencies like natural disasters.

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats. Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro and Angie Craig described it as “perhaps the most cruel and unlawful offence the Trump administration has perpetrated yet,” condemning President Donald Trump for diverting resources toward foreign aid to Argentina and the construction of a new White House ballroom during the shutdown.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), the contingency fund could only cover about 60% of one month’s benefits. House Democrats, however, argued in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins that enough money remains in SNAP’s reserve to fund most November benefits and urged the release of these reserves to sustain the program.

In response, Secretary Rollins maintained that the reserve is designated only for “true emergencies,” primarily natural disasters. While a prior USDA shutdown plan indicated the existence of multi-year contingency funds to allow states to continue operations, the department now reports that these resources have been exhausted.

The suspension of SNAP benefits has raised concerns over the impact on vulnerable families, highlighting the far-reaching consequences of the ongoing federal funding stalemate.