As the clock ticks toward November 1st, a bitter standoff in Washington could soon translate into empty grocery carts for millions of Americans.
At the center of this growing crisis is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps, which provides critical monthly support to over 42 million low-income individuals and families. With the government shutdown dragging on, the Trump administration is now issuing a dire warning: without a resolution, the money stops flowing — and soon.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed in a memo obtained by Fox News Digital that it lacks the legal authority to shuffle funds into SNAP without a new appropriation from Congress. That means if Democrats in the Senate do not accept the continuing resolution (CR) passed by the Republican-led House on September 19, all benefits will cease starting November 1. The department didn’t mince words, stating bluntly: “Bottom line, the well has run dry.”
NEW: After bragging about all the things she just stole from the store because her food stamps got cut off, woman tells her followers to “infiltrate” churches and get rent money.
“So this is what I stole, okay? They wanted $9 for this. I said, Oh, I don’t got $9.”
“Whether or… pic.twitter.com/lxKnIEXROp
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 28, 2025
The stakes couldn’t be higher. SNAP requires $8 to $9 billion in funding per month, and Democrats have called on the USDA to tap into a $5 billion contingency fund to keep the program afloat. But the USDA argues that those emergency reserves are legally designated for short-term disaster scenarios like hurricanes or floods — not for covering an entire month of national benefits in the absence of congressional appropriations. In their words, “The appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists.”
Further complicating the matter is the Democrats’ refusal to back any spending bill that doesn’t also extend COVID-era Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year.
The impasse reflects not just a disagreement over numbers, but a deeper ideological clash over priorities — healthcare expansion and progressive policy riders on one side, and bare-bones government funding with an emphasis on border enforcement and budget discipline on the other.
Republicans are hammering Democrats for stalling relief. The USDA memo frames the opposition as dangerously out of touch, warning that alternative funding transfers would have to come from programs like school meals and infant formula — a political third rail if there ever was one. “This Administration will not allow Democrats to jeopardize funding for school meals and infant formula in order to prolong their shutdown,” the memo states.
Meanwhile, House Democrats are urging the USDA to act anyway, asserting that the contingency fund was created “precisely for this reason,” and pushing for the agency to explore broader statutory authority to bridge the gap.
