SNAP benefits are set to expire on Saturday due to the government shutdown. Deborah Berkman, the director of the shelter and economic stability project at New York Legal Assistance Group's Public Benefits Unit, joins to discuss.

Washington

With the expiration of SNAP benefits expected soon, organizations are expressing concern that food banks will not be able to meet the increased demand. Deborah Berkman, director of the New York Legal Assistant Group's shelter and economic stability project, highlighted that many Americans rely solely on SNAP for food and that food banks are already experiencing shortages and long lines.

The discussion also addressed the availability of a $5 billion contingency fund, which has previously been used during government shutdowns to maintain SNAP benefits. Berkman emphasized the importance of contacting Congress to ensure SNAP benefits are issued, noting that the federal government is the only entity capable of addressing the scale of need.

Food banks "simply can't keep up" with SNAP benefits set to expire

Let's talk about SNAP, with those benefits coming up short. It's supposed to be expected to begin tomorrow. Many organizations are trying to fight back. Legal action is one option. Outreach to communities is another option. They want to make sure that people get the help that they've been expecting and that they need. There's an organization called the New York Legal Assistant Group, and they've got a shelter and economic stability project within that. Its director, Deborah Berkman, joins us now. You're one of the groups fighting back, trying to make sure that people get what they need. What concerns you most about this particular moment in time? Well, what concerns me and everyone is that our clients and Americans are going to starve. And there are a lot of people who rely on SNAP as their only source of food, and they are going to have very few places to turn. So we've been covering how food banks are becoming overwhelmed. Are they ready for this to happen? And how have they been faring up until this moment? Absolutely not. There have already been massive cuts to food banks. And so my clients report waiting on long, long, long lines around the corner and then getting there and having no food. And so that's already happening before SNAP is interrupted. Now there's going to be this extra stress on the food banks and they just, they simply can't keep up. Getting there and having no food. So food banks, some of them have been running out of food. Yes. Let's talk about this contingency fund because there are $5 billion that could be used in emergency situations. The administration says that it should be used for natural disasters, not a government shutdown. Has this money been used before for a shutdown? Yes. During every previous government shutdown, that money has been used to ensure that SNAP remains uninterrupted because people have always acknowledged it's a bipartisan issue and not a partisan issue that SNAP must be paid because people need to eat. Yeah. And you don't want people starving in America's biggest city. Of course. I mean, the fact that you even use that word, starvation here in America is a wild thing. So people are going to hear that. They're going to want to help. What can they do to help? Well, what they can do is they can, of course, donate money to their local food banks. They can contact their children's schools and talk to their school coordinators. But I have to say, the first thing that I think they should do is call their Congress people and tell their Congress people, SNAP must go out in November. This is not a partisan issue. You must issue SNAP because the only organization that can really help is the federal government by issuing these benefits. Is there a particular client that stands out that you've spoken to who obviously is worried? Absolutely. I have a lot of clients that can't access food banks. I have one particular elderly homebound client that uses her SNAP benefits to order groceries online and have them delivered to her home. She's not going to be able to take advantage of food banks. So I don't know what she's going to do for food. Deborah Bergman, thank you so much for what you do and for your perspective. We really appreciate you.

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