Food banks brace for surge as 42 million Americans face November without SNAP

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00:00It's hard to miss a big alert at the top of the USDA's website.

00:04The message is simple but serious. No SNAP benefits for November.

00:10We need everyone to understand that if people don't receive their SNAP benefits,

00:15this is going to have catastrophic effects on our communities.

00:18The announcement comes as the federal government remains shut down and funding talks stall in the

00:23Senate. The USDA is telling states to hold off on sending SNAP funds until further notice.

00:28Here in Nebraska alone, that means roughly $27 million in assistance won't be issued in November,

00:35at least not yet. Across the Missouri River and Iowa, the impact could be just as severe.

00:40According to the Iowa Hunger Coalition, about 270,000 Iowans could miss out on nearly $45

00:46million in SNAP benefits. With days left before benefits were set to go out,

00:52Food Bank for the Heartland is preparing for a surge in need.

00:55There's no way of saying how long the food will last. We are doing everything we can

01:00to ensure that we can bring more food into our warehouse so that our neighbors can get access

01:06to the food that they need. And these stacks of food will make their way to more than 500 partners

01:11across 93 counties in Nebraska and western Iowa. But Stephanie Sullivan warns it won't be enough.

01:18For every meal that a food bank provides, SNAP can provide nine.

01:22And there is absolutely no way that we can make up for that loss.

01:26And it comes as the food bank is already stretched thin. Sullivan says it's down $3 million in federal

01:32support. Within the last two years, we've seen a 50 percent increase in food insecurity.

01:37Unfortunately, we are currently not seeing the resources at hand to meet those needs.

01:43Food Bank for the Heartland has experienced significant cuts to federal funding.

01:48In Washington, fingers are pointing in every direction over who's to blame for the shutdown.

01:54The Trump administration is blaming Democrats. The USDA says because of them, the SNAP well has run dry.

02:00But the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says that claim is false and that the government

02:05could send SNAP payments despite the shutdown.

02:07Its president, a former White House budget official under President Barack Obama, says the Trump

02:13administration has access to billions in contingency funds that could cover the 42 million Americans

02:19who rely on SNAP for food. They argue those dollars were set aside for exactly this situation

02:25when SNAP funding runs low or stops during a shutdown. They point to the administration's

02:31legal transfer authority, the same tool it used to boost funding for WIC.

02:35Nebraska Appleseed says applying it to SNAP could have a huge impact.

02:40Eric Saviano tells Straight Arrow News, it's hard to understand how millions of hungry people

02:45in huge lines at food pantries can happen when options are available now to fund SNAP.

02:51The USDA and Trump administration need to step up and use their authority to fund November benefits,

02:56as we think they are legally required to do, and avoid 150,000 Nebraskans starting November

03:02without the food assistance they need. And now a new lawsuit is challenging the inaction.

03:08Democratic leaders from 25 states and D.C., including California and New York,

03:13are suing the Trump administration, accusing the USDA of illegally halting SNAP benefits.

03:19The lawsuit filed in federal court in Massachusetts argues the government has billions in emergency

03:24funds it could use to keep food aid flowing next month. The filing calls the move unprecedented

03:30and damaging, warning millions could go hungry heading into the holidays if benefits aren't

03:35restored. In an internal memo, the USDA says it doesn't have the legal authority to use contingency

03:41funds for November SNAP payments. Those reserves, according to USDA, are reserved for disasters like

03:47hurricanes or floods, not for regular monthly benefits. The memo ends with one message. The only way to

03:54keep SNAP running is for Congress to end the shutdown and pass a funding bill. For Straight Arrow News,

03:59I'm Kaylee Carey. For more stories based in Nebraska, visit san.com or download the Straight Arrow News

04:05mobile app today.

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