Lawmakers Head Home as SNAP Funds Set to Lapse Nov. 1

President Donald Trump suggested that Republicans should play the "Trump card" and do away with the 60-vote threshold needed to advance most legislation.
Published: 10/31/2025, 2:30:04 PM EDT
Lawmakers Head Home as SNAP Funds Set to Lapse Nov. 1
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Oct. 28, 2025. (Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times)

Food assistance is set to run dry this weekend as the federal government shutdown drags on for the 31st day.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins joined House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) daily press conference the day before benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are set to expire.

Rollins said that funds for SNAP's Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program may also run dry, although the Trump administration used tariff revenue to temporarily keep it operational.

"Millions of Americans, as of tomorrow, will no longer receive SNAP [benefits] and potentially WIC—or even a paycheck," Rollins said during Friday's GOP press briefing.

More than 42 million low-income Americans depend on SNAP to put food on the table and feed their families.

Families will go hungry if the shutdown continues, Johnson told reporters, adding that the "tension is rising" between both sides.

The Senate adjourned on Thursday after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement for the fifth consecutive week, although Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he expects shutdown talks to continue over the weekend.

President Donald Trump suggested that Republicans should play the "Trump card" and do away with the 60-vote threshold needed to advance most legislation. The move would allow Republicans to fund the government without Democrats' votes.

"THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE 'NUCLEAR OPTION,' GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER," Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday night.

Meanwhile, food banks across the nation face the challenge of feeding millions of Americans who depend on SNAP to survive.

But even nonprofits can't sustain the burden and are being pushed past their breaking point, according to Diane Yentel, President and CEO, National Council of Nonprofits. "Local nonprofits are already doing all they can to feed families amidst increasing need and diminishing resources but they can’t possibly replace federal nutrition programs, nor can they meet the tsunami of need that would result from SNAP suddenly being stopped," Yentel said in a statement.

The fight to keep SNAP benefits flowing during the shutdown is playing out in courts. State leaders from 25 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia have sued the federal government over whether contingency funds could be tapped to keep the program alive.

SNAP costs about $8 billion a month. Government lawyers have argued that the contingency fund with about $5 billion cannot legally be used to maintain SNAP. The states say it must be used for that purpose and point to more money available in a second federal account containing around $23 billion.

Meanwhile, several states are scrambling to find ways to help residents who rely on the funds to eat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.