Prolonged shutdown could leave millions without food stamps and hit small businesses – NBC News

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Millions of Americans could face going without the benefit that allows them to purchase food if the government shutdown continues into February.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, costs an average of around $4.8 billion per month, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But because of the government shutdown, the program has only $3 billion in emergency reserves for February.

More than 19 million households in the United States receive food stamps, accounting for nearly 39 million people. Each household receives on average $245.28 per month.

But because of the shutdown, USDA has no money to pay for the program in the ensuing months. The agency also had to furlough approximately 95 percent of Food and Nutrition Services, the office that oversees the SNAP program.

The White House and the USDA did not respond to requests for comment about their plans to address the shortfall, but experts say there is cause for concern for the millions potentially impacted.

If the $1.8 billion shortfall for February benefits were spread evenly across the 19 million households that receive SNAP benefits, each would see a cut of about $90 per month for their overall grocery budget, according to Dottie Rosenbaum, a senior fellow at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

If the political standoff that began Dec. 22 continued into March, these households would receive no money to buy food.

“Even if the President and Congress resolve the shutdown by February, depending on the decisions the Administration makes in the coming one to two weeks, households could experience a substantial delay in receiving their full SNAP allotment for February because of the operational challenges that states and EBT contractors face,” Rosenbaum said in an email.

Robert Powell is another American who might have a reason to worry, although he doesn’t use the benefits himself. Powell owns a grocery store called the Town & Country Market in Atoka, Oklahoma — a small town of about 3,000 people where the store has been a fixture since 1967.

A fair amount of his customers use food stamps, Powell said, later adding that these lost benefits could have a negative impact on his customers — as well as his business.

“There’s going to be rioting in the streets when they cut the stamps off,” Powell said. “Get your timber ready.”

Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/prolonged-shutdown-could-leave-millions-without-food-stamps-hit-small-n955136

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