Under the current conditions of the shutdown, SNAP benefits will not be issued beginning Saturday, Nov. 1 during a lapse in funding.
TYLER, Texas — Eleven U.S. senators, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn, have sponsored a bill that would fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits amid the government shutdown.
Under the current conditions of the shutdown, SNAP benefits will not be issued beginning Saturday, Nov. 1 during a lapse in funding.
In an announcement, Cornyn said the bill, if approved, would help the 3.5 million Texans during the current lapse in appropriations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The funding would be retroactive to the start of the shutdown. The bill is being led in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).
The bill's text states the law seeks to give uninterrupted benefits under SNAP during any period when legislation has not been approved to give continuing or full-year fiscal year 2026 appropriations to the USDA.
If it became law, the Keep SNAP Funded Act would provide retroactive payments for SNAP benefits missed on or after Sept. 30, 2025, and before the bill is enacted.
The appropriations provided by this bill are available until legislation is enacted to provide FY2026 appropriations for USDA (including continuing appropriations).
“Senate Democrats have voted against funding SNAP and reopening the government more than a dozen times already, forcing vulnerable Texans to go hungry as the holidays are fast approaching,” Cornyn said. “Democrats’ callous apathy towards Texans is sickening, and this legislation would ensure our most vulnerable mothers, children, and families across the Lone Star State have the assistance they desperately need during this senseless shutdown.”
SOURCE :cbs19.tv