Dear Friend,

On Saturday, November 1st, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, will not be provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In a recently released USDA memo, the Trump Administration announced they will not pay SNAP benefits for November despite a SNAP emergency fund of at least $5 billion. Congress specifically set aside this funding for the purpose of supporting SNAP in the event of an emergency like this. This is not just the right thing to do, it is the law.

SNAP has its roots in the aftermath of the Great Depression, when we as a nation recognized that the government has a responsibility to prevent its citizens from starving in the streets. It has become our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program.

According to the CT Government, the 360,000 Connecticut residents who receive SNAP benefits each year can use their benefits to purchase food through October 31st. As a result of a recent release of funds from the federal government, WIC recipients still have access to benefits for at least the first couple weeks of November. The Trump Administration has not released emergency funds for SNAP benefits and recently informed the states that November benefits will not be paid.

Last week, I joined a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urging her to release existing SNAP funding to continue providing benefits for the almost 42 million Americans that rely on this money to feed themselves and their families. Please rest assured, I will continue to fight to ensure that families who rely on these benefits can put food on their tables next month. For more information on SNAP benefits during a government shutdown, click here. If you or someone you know needs food immediately, please call 211 or visit their website at 211ct.org.

If you or your loved ones have questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my district office in New Haven at (203) 562-3718 – my staff and I will do whatever we can to assist you.

To stay informed on future tele-town halls and my day-to-day work in Connecticut’s Third District and in Washington, D.C., please visit www.delauro.house.gov, subscribe to my newsletter here, and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bluesky.               

                                                                                               Sincerely,