OMAHA, Neb. — An orange alert greets visitors at the top of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) website. The accompanying message is short, blunt and, for millions of Americans, unsettling: no Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will be issued for November.
As the federal government’s shutdown enters its second month, negotiations in the Senate show no sign of progress and the USDA has instructed states to hold benefits until further notice.
The decision leaves an estimated 42 million people across the country uncertain about how they will afford groceries next month. Many are expected to turn to food banks. But with the increased demand, their shelves, too, may soon be bare. At best, they are an emergency stopgap that cannot match the food security that federal benefits provide…