Food insecurity may arrive sooner than later for Americans who rely on SNAP
The shutdown is poised to trigger a pause in benefits for millions.
We’re on week 4 of the government shutdown, which stands to be longest in our nation’s history. The U.S Department of Agriculture has sent letters to states telling them to hold off on dispensing SNAP funding onto EBT cards for November, meaning that millions of Americans who rely on food assistance will struggle to afford groceries. H.R.1 changes to SNAP eligibility will make these impacts permanent for many households.
SNAP Cuts Add to States’ Mounting Fiscal Pressures
H.R.1 has made sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including expanding program work reporting requirements, narrowing eligibility for certain non-citizens, eliminating over $500 million in food education programs and shifting costs from the federal government to states.
With about $186 billion in SNAP cuts over the next decade, more than 22 million households receiving food assistance could experience greater food insecurity — and state Medicaid agencies could feel the ripple effects.
Historically, states have not been obligated to fund SNAP benefits. The federal government paid 100% of benefit costs and 50% of administrative costs, with state and local governments taking up the balance of administration. H.R.1 fundamentally changes this arrangement by requiring states and local governments to take on more of the cost of administering the program and, for the first time in SNAP history, requiring states to fund part of benefit payments if their payment error rate is 6% or more, according to the according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
The potential fiscal impact to states is enormous, bringing new uncertainty about whether states will trim their SNAP programs.
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ICYMI: Parsing the Health Impacts of the Government Shutdown
Medicaid funding to states generally keeps flowing during a government shutdown, since Medicaid is an entitlement that’s unaffected by the appropriations process. However, if this shutdown reaches historic length, these protections may diminish. Medicaid funding for the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2026 has already been appropriated, though if the shutdown stretches beyond that, federal payments to states will stop and employees will begin to be furloughed unless funds are left over from the first quarter appropriation. This has never occurred, but with speculation that the shutdown could stretch until Thanksgiving, states may need to pivot to contingency planning.
The government writ large may look very different when it reopens
Prior to the shutdown itself, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo directing federal agency heads to compile reduction in force (RIF) plans for employees likely to be furloughed and without an alternative source of funding. On Oct. 10, OMB Director Russell Vought tweeted that “The RIFs have begun.” Across the federal government, more than 4,000 employees received RIF notices, including a number of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. At CDC, for instance, the entire staff of the Washington office — responsible for liaising with policymakers on Capitol Hill — received pink slips. Without any clear data from Department of Health and Human Services or OMB, the full scope of the RIFs is unclear.
Keep reading at The 80 Million.
California’s Department of Health Care Services launched the Medi-Cal Voices and Vision Council, which serves as the state’s Medicaid Advisory Council (MAC) and brings together Medi-Cal members, caregivers, providers, community-based organizations, advocacy groups, and county partners to shape the future of Medi-Cal policies, programs, and implementation.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services announced that, as part of oversight measures, Medicaid providers who have not billed for services in more than a year will be disenrolled from the program.
North Dakota Health and Human Services hosted a Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) listening session and shared themes from the responses they received to their survey collecting public input on the RHTP.
Dr. Jennifer Strohecker is stepping down from her role as Utah’s Medicaid director.
Medicaid is preferred here – The Atlantic
Novo Nordisk fights to keep Medicaid paying for weight-loss drugs – Reuters
What Medicaid cuts could mean for one day program for disabled adults in Manassas – WAMU 88.5
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