Around 42 million Americans are at risk of losing access to critical nutrition assistance if the government shutdown continues into November. The Agriculture Department has warned states that there will be “insufficient funds” to continue operating the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

The USDA recently informed states in a letter that there would not be enough money to pay full benefits in November, directing state agencies to delay distributing funds to participants’ electronic benefits transfer cards for the foreseeable future. This situation differs from previous shutdowns, when the federal government had been able to continue to fully provide nutrition benefits. The 35-day shutdown that occurred during the first Trump administration ended before USDA lost its authority to issue benefits, although the agency had formed a plan for maintaining its ability to fund SNAP.

Although there are contingency funds the federal government could tap to help keep the program afloat, it’s unclear whether the Trump administration would prioritize ensuring nutrition assistance. The USDA could tap into a contingency reserve of around $6 billion, although this may not cover the full cost of benefits; in May, the last month that information is available, the

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