Could halt in SNAP benefits, paychecks pressure lawmakers to strike shutdown deal?

(WASHINGTON) — A critical food assistance program will soon halt for millions of Americans in need and air traffic controllers will miss a paycheck this week as the government shutdown enters its fourth week — with all eyes on congressional lawmakers to see if the added pressure will be enough to push them to strike a deal.

The Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will not be issued on Nov. 1 amid the ongoing government shutdown, saying “Bottom line, the well has run dry.”

SNAP, often referred to as “food stamps,” serves roughly 42 million low-income Americans.

SNAP has traditionally been entirely federally funded, but is administered by states. That means the shutdown’s impact on SNAP and when benefits will start to dry up will vary by state.

Over the weekend, the Trump administration said it won’t be giving a lifeline to SNAP funding, and blamed the Democrats for the ongoing shutdown.

The Trump administration’s position that it cannot extend SNAP benefits during the shutdown is a reversal from the USDA’s stated shutdown contingency plan from late September, which said that “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown.”

But in a new memo issued late last week and obtained by ABC News, USDA said contingency funds are “only available” when SNAP funds have been approved by Congress.

Earlier in the shutdown, the Trump administration redirected others funds to pay service members — even as it says it can’t do the same with SNAP funding.

On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson argued the contingency funds for SNAP are “not legally available right now” to cover the benefits and pleaded with Democrats to support the clean continuing resolution to reopen the government. 

“The reason is because it’s a finite source of funds. It was appropriated by Congress, and if they transfer funds from these other sources, it pulls it away immediately from school meals… So … it’s a trade off,” he said. “There has to be a pre-existing appropriation for the contingency fund to be used.” 

Airline travelers are feeling effects of the shutdown as well.

Over the weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration was forced to slow air traffic around Chicago, Dallas, Southern California, Newark and other cities because of staffing issues. Some air traffic controllers called out as many are forced to work without pay during the shutdown. 

Air traffic controllers will miss their first paycheck on Tuesday.

Another critical deadline approaches around health care premiums. Democrats are continuing their fight over health care subsidies as the Nov. 1 open enrollment date approaches.

As the shutdown continues to impact Americans and key deadlines loom, all eyes are on Capitol Hill where lawmakers are still in a stalemate.

On Monday, Johnson slammed Democrats and said the administration has worked “creatively” to limit the “pain on the Americans.”

“We need five more Democrats in the Senate to do the right thing — wake up and say, ‘I’m going to say no to the Marxist far-left pressure, and I’m going to do what’s right by the people of 42 million Americans in this country who rely upon this essential nutrition assistance. Or am I going to starve my constituents? Or am I going to appease the Marxist?’” Johnson said.

It doesn’t appear President Donald Trump will be negotiating with Democrats either.

ABC News “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday if Trump should meet with Democrats again. Bessent seemed to rebuff the idea of him doing that.

“Well, what good does it do, Martha? They dug in. The American people are hostage to Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries’ poll numbers because what’s changed between now and the last time there was a clean, continuing resolution is Chuck Schumer has tanked in the polls. They both of the two guys from Brooklyn, like I call them, are worried about being primaried from the left,” Bessent said.

Meanwhile, the president of the country’s largest union representing federal workers is calling on lawmakers to pass a short-term spending bill to end the shutdown.

“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today,” American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said in a statement.

The AFGE represents more than 800,000 federal and D.C. government workers.

“It’s time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike,” she added.

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