Nearly 3.5 million Texans will lose food stamps next month if shutdown persists

Nearly 3.47 million Texans will go without food assistance next month if the federal government shutdown continues past Monday.

Texas Health and Human Services announced that Texans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for help buying groceries will not receive their benefits if the shutdown continues past Oct. 27.

“SNAP has funding available for benefits and operations through the month of October,” according to a letter written by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to state agencies. “However, if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation.”

The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1.

In 2024, there were 3.47 million Texans who received help buying groceries through SNAP, or 11% of the state population. In Tarrant County, there are 82,000 households that receive SNAP benefits, or almost 11% of the county’s population.

Benefits provided by other programs, like WIC, TANF, Medicaid and CHIP, are not affected by the government shutdown, according to Texas Health and Human Services.