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USDA officials stated this past weekend that monthly food benefits from a major federal welfare initiatives will not be distributed next month due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Impasse Persists Through Its Third Week

The federal closure lasted nearly a month when the announcement was made, in response to appeals by more than two hundred Congressional Democrats asking the USDA to tap into contingency funds to fund next month's benefits.

“The reality is, funds are depleted,” the department confirmed. “Currently, assistance will not be provided” beginning in November.

Widespread Impact

Tens of millions of people count on these monthly payments, according to federal data. In certain states, including New Mexico, dependence on SNAP is as high as one-fifth of the population.

Internal communications seen by journalists indicated that the department would not access reserve funds for the upcoming payments.

Political Stalemate

Lawmakers from both parties are still at odds about the way to support and resume government operations.

A statement from the head of a prominent policy organization indicated that federal leadership had opportunities to prepare in advance to avoid interruption in payments.

“They had the ability and responsibility taken steps before now to make arrangements to access these resources,” the comments added. “Instead, officials could opt out in an effort to gain political advantage” as Republicans seek to pressure Senate Democrats to support a funding package to restart the federal government.

Emergency Measures

Governors in multiple regions declared states of emergency in recent days to allocate funds to address food insecurity in anticipation of food benefits expiring during the upcoming period.