Credit: (NJ Spotlight News)For more than 40 million Americans and nearly 1 million in New Jersey, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the difference between eating and going hungry. This November, that lifeline could disappear.
“People who are used to getting their benefits at the beginning of the month, it’s not going to happen,” said Michael J. Wilson, deputy commissioner for social services at the state Department of Human Services, which administers the state’s SNAP program. “That’s directly related to the shutdown.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will not tap $6 billion in contingency funds to pay for the November SNAP benefits, blaming congressional Democrats for the ongoing budget impasse in Washington. But on Tuesday, New Jersey joined a multistate lawsuit against the USDA, arguing the decision unlawfully withholds critical food assistance.
It’s the first time in history that SNAP benefits have been halted because of a government shutdown, and the impact will be felt across the state. Wilson said the situation is dire. Nearly 1 in 9 New Jersey residents — more than 800,000 people — rely on SNAP to buy groceries each month.
“If this isn’t an emergency, I don’t know what is,” Wilson said. “Taking food away from millions of Americans who’ve done nothing wrong, for them, this is the emergency.”
Some recipients with funds left on their EBT cards from October will still be able to use them in November, and about 30,000 families will continue receiving smaller supplemental benefits from the state, officials said. But the vast majority of the need will fall on New Jersey’s already strained food banks.
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, which serves 11 counties, recently held a food distribution event at Newark Liberty International Airport to support TSA workers who are working without pay, serving more than 400 federal employees that day.
“Even if Congress reached a deal today, there would still be delays,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, president and CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “Funding SNAP isn’t like flipping a switch — it takes days to restart. And for every meal the food bank provides, SNAP provides nine. The gap would be overwhelming.”
Food banks across the state are already seeing record demand. In Somerset County, the Food Bank Network has seen the demand nearly triple in just two years.
“Not to be overdramatic, but it could be catastrophic,” said Steve Katz, executive director of the Food Bank Network of Somerset County. “People on SNAP will fill their carts, get to the checkout, and find their cards don’t work. We’ve got 12,000 people on SNAP in Somerset, and many have never needed a pantry before, until now.”
Katz said his organization served 32,000 clients last year, up from 12,000 in 2021, and he expects that number to rise again this year. “A lot of folks don’t come to us because SNAP gets them through the month,” he said. “If that goes away, they’ll be looking around wondering, ‘What do I do?’”
Credit: (NJ Spotlight News)For Sylvia Serrano of Camden, that question is painfully personal. Serrano receives $100 a month in SNAP benefits to help feed her four grandchildren, two of whom are on the autism spectrum and only eat certain foods.
“It helps me buy the foods they’ll actually eat,” Serrano said. “Without it, I’ll have to pay part of my bills . . . to get what they need. It’s not that easy to get to a food bank and the things my grandkids need aren’t always there.”
Serrano said she does her grocery shopping close to home while her grandchildren are at school. Without reliable transportation or SNAP assistance, even getting food will become harder.
“I’m just trying to figure out how to make it work, how to get what they need every month,” she said. “It’s going to affect everyone, especially families like mine.”
The USDA has placed the blame on Democrats for failing to approve new spending measures. In response, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) called the agency’s decision to withhold benefits “a new and disgusting low,” accusing the administration of “weaponizing food assistance.”
McCarthy warned that no charity network could fill the gap if SNAP funding runs dry. “We already provide over 100 million meals a year across 11 counties,” she said. “If SNAP stops, no food bank can make up for that loss.”
Gov. Phil Murphy’s office said SNAP benefits in New Jersey are secure through Oct. 31, while WIC benefits for women, infants, and children will continue through Nov. 10. After that, officials say, it all depends on Congress.
