SNAP Won’t Be Affected in Potential Government Shutdown
civileats.com
Food and farming agencies will not suffer the same closures they did last year if the government shuts down this weekend.

January 27, 2025 – The Senate has until Friday, Jan. 30 to pass a final package of appropriations bills and keep the government open, but opposition to more funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a violent weekend in Minneapolis is making a shutdown more likely.

This time, though, the federal agencies most closely connected to food and farming will be insulated. That’s because following last year’s shutdown they were funded.

During last year’s shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, a lapse in funding proved disruptive for federal food assistance programs and farm programs.

Should another government shutdown occur at the end of the month, programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be impacted in the same way. In the funding deal to end the last shutdown, Congress passed annual appropriations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which also fully funded SNAP, through September.

The funding also fully supports programs and staff for farm programs at the USDA that saw disruptions during the last shutdown, including the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Earlier in January, Congress passed a package of appropriations bills that included funding for the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). President Donald Trump signed this funding on Jan. 23, which means these agencies are also protected from another potential shutdown.

The departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, among others, still need annual appropriations. The House approved a package of appropriations bills, also known as a minibus, for these and other agencies on Jan. 22. But the minibus package also includes more funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including $10 billion for ICE.

Senate Democrats are now threatening to block the funding package, amid ongoing tension between Minnesota and the Trump administration and after ICE agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend. (Link to this post.)

The post SNAP Won’t Be Affected in Potential Government Shutdown appeared first on Civil Eats.

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