SNAP Recipients, States Scrape for Food During Impasse

People across the country who count on SNAP benefits scrambled again for food on Saturday after the Supreme Court granted a stay to the Trump administration that postponed resolution of the impasse prompted by the government shutdown. Recipients in some states have collected the benefits, while others turned to food banks for help, some for the first time in their lives. The Senate held its first weekend session since the shutdown began on Oct. 1 but took no votes and announced no agreement, per the AP. A sampling of the situation outside the capital:

• Jeffersonville, Georgia: Many customers at the farm Julia Asherman runs receive SNAP benefits, so she expects a financial hit from the impasse. She said this is the worst time of year to take the payments away from her customers, because farmers have to spend money to prepare for spring planting but have little coming in, the New York Times reports. Asherman and her 3-year-old son also need SNAP. "My take-home at the end of the year already hovers around zero, like many farmers around this country," she said.
• Anoka, Minnesota: Jeanne Nihart said she grabbed deli meat, cheese, and French bread at the grocery store; her 12-year-old daughter loves turkey sandwiches. Then she recalled that she doesn't know when she'll get her next SNAP payment. "I can't justify buying meat right now," she decided.

• Lewisville, Texas: SNAP has made it possible for Jennifer Lunn to feed her four children for the past two years. After the cutoff, the customer service agent went to a food pantry last weekend for the first time. She was given a box with chicken, canned goods, and salad ingredients. When she has the SNAP help, Lunn usually buys noodles, potatoes, vegetables, chicken, and ground beef for the kind of meals that keep her teenagers full for a while. She said they're running through the donated food so quickly that it won't last the month.
• Middletown, Ohio: A 15-year grocery store employee said residents once earned a solid paycheck working in the town's factories. Now, most customers need SNAP help, as does she. Mary Schiely earns $12 an hour at her job and receives nearly $500 a month in benefits. For her and the customers she serves, SNAP "is what puts food on the table," Schiely said.

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• Connecticut: Gov. Ned Lamont posted Saturday that full benefits have been loaded onto SNAP recipients' EBT cards, per WFSB. "People depend on this support and Connecticut is stepping up," he wrote.
• New Jersey and Pennsylvania: The two states are among those where confusion surrounds whether people who have received the money can spend it. Pennsylvania said yes on Saturday, per WCAU. New Jersey officials said money already distributed can be used, though it's not clear if the US Department of Agriculture will halt remaining benefits or let the state's vendor access the funding to pay for the benefits that were expended.
• Utah: State officials said Saturday that none of the 169,300 people who count on the food stamps has received a penny in November benefits, per the Salt Lake Tribune. It wasn't clear if state officials tried to expedite the payments.
• Oregon: Full benefits were distributed. Gov. Tina Kotek said state employees had "worked through the night" into Friday to ensure recipients could buy groceries starting Friday.