Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock press Trump Administration to sustain SNAP program

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WRBL) — Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are pushing for the Trump Administration to sustain the SNAP program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not go out on Nov. 1 as the government shutdown continues.

The new notice comes after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November, according to AP News correspondents.

“We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November,” Ossoff, Warnock, and the group wrote. “Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance.”

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They added, “We urge you to immediately communicate to states and committees of jurisdiction the USDA’s plans to disburse the contingency funding to state agencies and utilize all available legal authorities so that American families can get benefits without interruption.”

The shutdown that began Oct. 1 is now the second-longest on record.