Updated Nov. 6, 2025
As we enter week six of the federal government shutdown, the longest in our nation’s history, 3.5 million Texans who rely on SNAP food stamps to feed their families have lost access to those nutrition assistance funds. Alarming information is circulating across media outlets and on the program administrator, Texas Health and Human Services Commission (TX HHSC), website. Every Texan offers the public reliable information about whether the government shutdown will also close SNAP benefits for Texans.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is legally required to pull from an emergency contingency fund that can partially fund SNAP benefits for enrollees around the country, including in Texas. Two courts have ruled that the USDA must release the contingency funds as soon as possible. In response to the court, USDA issued guidance to states about how to share those partial benefits with enrollees. The administration confirmed the president will carry out the court order, but will not continue to release emergency funds after this instance.
We continue to work with federal partners and legislators to push the USDA to release the full emergency funds now and fully fund SNAP in the future. It is the responsibility of any administration to support nutrition assistance programs that keep Americans from going hungry. Food should never be used as a political tool. We urge the administration to prioritize policy over politics and use every resource available to comply with the law that requires the U.S government to release benefits and fund SNAP.
What Beneficiaries Can Expect
- Anyone enrolled in SNAP this November will eventually receive November SNAP benefits when the shutdown ends.
- If the USDA follows the court order to release the contingency funds, SNAP enrollees will receive, at a maximum, half of what they normally would. After income calculations, your benefits may be reduced even further.*
- October benefits are secure. SNAP enrollees should continue using the SNAP funds already loaded onto their Lone Star Cards. These SNAP dollars will remain available to you even if new benefits are not loaded.
- SNAP enrollees should continue to renew their SNAP applications throughout the shutdown and be sure to answer any letters or messages they get from TX HHSC.
- People who want to enroll in SNAP should continue applying for SNAP throughout the shutdown.
- Food banks and pantries are open across the state to support families if the shutdown causes Texas SNAP funds to pause. To find nearby food banks, visit Feeding Texas’ food bank finder. Simply input your zip code, click on the nearest regional food bank, then enter your zip code again to find local food pantries. You can also call 2-1-1 and press option “1” for the same information locally.**
- Other TX HHSC programs – WIC, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – are not affected by the shutdown at this time.
* Under regular SNAP rules, HHSC deducts 30% of a household’s income from baseline SNAP amounts, because the USDA considers 30% of a household’s income to be what a family should spend on food. This deduction is not a change to the program. The USDA sent this document to states to help them calculate benefits.
** To ensure you are accessing up-to-date information, call the food pantry nearest you directly and confirm their distribution days and hours before visiting a local food pantry for support. ID or other proof of residence may be requiredwhen you arrive. Ask over the phone what documents will be required to receive support before you make the trip to your local pantry.
Why SNAP Benefits Are at Risk
In Texas, working families, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities use SNAP benefits to access food. Federal regulations require the current administration to spend federal contingency funds on SNAP during government shutdowns. Those funds are available to the administration for release and require no legal or administrative expense. The administration must simply be willing to distribute the existing funds. Every Texan urges the administration to meet that federal requirement and support community members facing hunger.
In addition, Every Texan urges Congress to reach an agreement and make the Marketplace health insurance enhanced subsidies (the subject of the debate that led to the shutdown) permanent. Congressional members can support both healthcare stability and food security nationally by making enhanced Marketplace subsidies permanent, ending the shutdown, and funding SNAP. We urge Texans to recognize that political interferences in public benefit programs are driven by a false narrative. Federal funding is available to ensure that people stay healthy and fed.
SNAP Disbursements Reduced to 65%
Full benefits for all SNAP enrollees in the U.S. would cost approximately $8 billion per month. While the emergency fund should have $6 billion in it, the administration claims the fund has shrunk to $4.5 billion, so USDAcan only distribute half of normal SNAP funds to beneficiaries. There is no verification of whether these numbers are accurate, and the administration continues to govern without transparency with little regard for the lived impacts of manufactured chaos on the lives Americans.
Governors and attorneys general who understand the harm caused when transparency is abandoned are continuing to explore legal action that may force the administration to release more funds to SNAP enrollees. We urge beneficiaries and communities to contact their congressional representatives and demand full funding for SNAP today.
Act Now: Call Today to Fully Fund SNAP!
As the nation approaches the 36th day of the federal shutdown, thousands of federal workers are without paychecks. At the same time, due to H.R. 1, TX HHSC must now verify that many new SNAP enrollees meet work requirements to receive their benefits. To add, these dangerous changes to the programs people rely on are hitting Texans as the holiday season approaches, when many children miss out on free school breakfasts and lunches. Families rely on SNAP to provide key nutrition for their children year-round.
Year after year, the state’s investments in education, healthcare, strong jobs, food access, and other social services remain stagnant. That means more Texans rely on social service programs (like SNAP) compared to people living in other states. In fact, more Texans rely on SNAP than residents of any other state. We develop and support sensible budget and policy solutions that create equity for all Texans, like Medicaid expansion in Texas, universal healthcare, fair wages, free childcare, universal basic income, and a state income tax.
Now is the time for Texans to reach out and demand that the administration fulfill its responsibility to fund SNAP. The U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees the SNAP program, under the direction of Brooke Rollins. Every Texan urges people to contact the USDA and request the immediate release of available SNAP funds to ensure Texans can eat TODAY. Call 202-720-2791 or email Brooke.rollins@usda.gov.
Contact Every Texan
- Stay up to date and receive important information when you subscribe to Every Texan action alerts.
- Direct media inquiries to communications@everytexan.org.
- For questions about SNAP benefits, contact Every Texan’s food policy expert Amber O’Connor at oconnor@everytexan.org.