Schumer Supports Hawley’s SNAP Bill Amid Shutdown
On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York expressed that Democrats are ready to support Senator Josh Hawley’s (R-Missouri) proposal aimed at funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the ongoing government shutdown.
Schumer mentioned, “If [Senate Majority Leader] John Thune [R-N.D.] puts this to a vote today or tomorrow, it will pass overwhelmingly,” during a speech at a press conference.
The proposed legislation, known as the SNAP Funding Preservation Act of 2025, intends to secure funding for the program until the government reopens. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which manages SNAP, has cautioned that millions of low-income individuals could lose access to their benefits starting this Saturday.
Hawley’s bill has garnered support from ten Republican co-sponsors, which include senators like James Lankford (Oklahoma) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), among others.
Thune, however, contended that Democrats ought to end the government shutdown by voting in favor of a bill that has been approved by the House, which extends existing funding.
Meanwhile, Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) introduced competing bills that would require the USDA to fund both the SNAP and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). This legislation, called the Keep SNAP and WIC Funding Act of 2025, has the backing of the entire Senate Democratic Caucus.
Recent statistics indicate that approximately 41.7 million individuals benefited from SNAP each month in 2024. The federal expenditure on the program is projected to be around $99.8 billion, averaging about $187.20 per month for each recipient.
Around 6.7 million people utilized WIC benefits last year, covering about 41% of infants in the United States. The program’s overall cost was approximately $7.2 billion during that period.
Notably, individuals can receive benefits from both SNAP and WIC concurrently.
The USDA has stated it will refrain from using over $5 billion in SNAP contingency funds allocated by Congress for emergencies. The anticipated cost for next month’s SNAP benefits is around $9.2 billion.
In a memo released on Friday, the USDA clarified that these funds are intended for unforeseen events, such as natural disasters. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins highlighted that the department is legally barred from utilizing reserve funds to provide November SNAP benefits.
Interestingly, there seems to be a contradiction in the USDA’s policy regarding the allocation of SNAP benefits. An announcement from Sept. 30 stated that the department is mandated by Congress to use expiring emergency funds for distributing SNAP benefits, even as their current stance indicates otherwise.
