Phila.gov
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Time is running out for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to go out to eligible families in November. More than three weeks into the federal government shutdown, states are bracing for at least a temporary pause in SNAP payments starting next month.
SNAP provides food assistance for 42 million people across the U.S. About 1 in 8 Americans rely on the program. Among them are 2 million people in Pennsylvania, with nearly 472,000 recipients in Philadelphia, or roughly 30% of the city’s population.
Nearly 70% of SNAP recipients are children, older adults or people with a disability, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In Pennsylvania, a looming SNAP freeze would occur against the backdrop of the commonwealth’s own budget impasse, which has stalled billions of dollars from going to schools and social services and $25 million in aid from going to food banks. The Pennsylvania budget is currently 121 days past due as of Oct. 29, with no end in sight.