Central Texas businesses and food banks are banding together to help people in need as distributions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program remain uncertain.
Why it matters: About 134,000 people in Travis, Hays and Williamson counties are eligible for SNAP benefits, per the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
State of play: Amid the fluid situation, the Texas agency that administers SNAP benefits appears unsure of what benefits Texans can expect this month.
- When asked where things stand for Texans relying on SNAP, Texas Health and Human Services spokesperson James Rivera told Axios the agency “continues to monitor how the federal government shutdown may impact benefits,” but he offered no specifics.
Context: After two federal courts forced its hand, the White House now says it will pay partial SNAP payments for the 42 million Americans who rely on the food program, Axios’ Emily Peck reports.
- It’s not yet clear when those payments are going out since different states need to update systems to accommodate changes.
- President Trump said in Truth Social post on Tuesday that food benefits will get paid only once the government shutdown ends.
Stunning stat: On Tuesday, the Central Texas Food Bank’s annual turkey giveaway in Pflugerville served nearly twice as many families as last year…