More than 40 million Americans will soon be without federal food assistance

NPR - The Trump administration says there will be no money for SNAP benefits starting Nov. 1. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it will not use emergency funds to address this situation. The White House is placing blame on Democrats for this outcome, similar to its approach with various other issues related to the shutdown over the past month. Some budget experts suggest that lawmakers should use the nearly $6 billion in contingency fund accounts to fund the benefits, NPR’s Stephen Fowler tells Up First. The USDA released a memo Friday stating it is currently illegal to use these contingency funds to pay for benefits. The administration argues that emergency money can only be used as a supplement when there are regularly appropriated benefits available, but due to the shutdown, there are none. Initially, the USDA’s plan for dealing with the shutdown mentioned the contingency funds as an option and suggested that Congress intended for SNAP operations to continue amid a shutdown.