We Are on the Verge of a Hunger Crisis

By Dr. Kimberly Stoner, CT NOFA Director of Policy and Advocacy

If the Federal government shutdown continues, on November 1 the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will halt for the 10% of Connecticut residents who rely on it. SNAP serves about 360,000 people in our state. Connecticut distributes about $75 million per month in federal SNAP benefits, with many households receiving roughly $190.

The basic facts are laid out in this article from the CT Mirror:

• The Department of Agriculture has directed state governments to shut down the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards that SNAP recipients use to buy food on November 1, if the shutdown is still going.
• No new benefits will be sent out for November until the shutdown ends or the state gets different information from the Department of Agriculture, and any unused benefits will not be able to be used after October 31.
• Because of the way this is being handled, the state cannot simply use its surplus or rainy day funds to replace Federal SNAP funds. The state would have to set up a whole new system to replace the EBT cards, which would take months.
• The state is working with Connecticut Foodshare, food pantries, and other non-profit organizations to get food to the people who will need it.

This situation is not normal. This is not what happened in previous shutdowns. This, and other unprecedented shutdown actions, such as canceling money for energy and transportation projects in blue states, firing Federal workers during the shutdown, and threatening not to provide back pay for furloughed Federal workers, are all tactics to increase the pressure on Congress to pass the appropriations bill and end the shutdown.

One solution would be to apply pressure to Senators to pass the appropriations bill and end the shutdown, but that would sacrifice the subsidies that keep the premiums for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act from exploding. CT NOFA is not taking that path, and neither are the other NOFA chapters or our allied family farm and sustainable agriculture organizations. We can’t just sacrifice health care (critically important for farmers, among many others without corporate or government health insurance) to end the shutdown.

Here are actions we can take:

• Spread the word about this coming crisis.
• Make sure that SNAP recipients know what is coming and prepare as best they can.
• Support our family members, neighbors, and community members who rely on SNAP (and also those who are not being paid during the shutdown).
• Support Connecticut Foodshare, local food pantries, food rescue organizations, and any other organizations getting food to those who need it.
• Support local farmers and markets, many of whom donate food to the hungry, and who will be losing their customers.