Name: US food banks strain under surging demand due to SNAP freeze
Uploaded: 2025-11-08T22:16:37.742Z
Duration: 2 min 3 s
Description: Forty-two million low-income Americans rely on food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy groceries. Amid the longest government shutdown in US history, many are turning to food banks.

Forty-two million low-income Americans rely on food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy groceries. Amid the longest government shutdown in US history, many are turning to food banks.

Detroit

Food banks in the United States are experiencing heightened pressure as demand surges due to delays in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. A federal court order to pay November benefits in full was paused by the Supreme Court while appeals continue, leaving many recipients without support.

The ongoing government shutdown, now the longest in US history, has exacerbated the situation. Political leaders continue to debate responsibility for the impasse, but for those relying on food banks, the primary concern remains feeding their families amid the uncertainty.

US food banks strain under surging demand due to SNAP freeze

Volunteers bagging produce at New York Common Pantry. The food bank helps feed the people affected by the delay in receiving benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. Recipients had a ray of hope when a federal court ordered the Trump administration to pay November benefits in full. But those hopes are dashed, at least for now, by the Supreme Court pausing the order while the case winds through appeals. That to me is an extreme, just horror to me that as an American citizen at my age, I can't have Thanksgiving dinner with my family because I can't afford the groceries. The food banks themselves are also starting to feel the strain. We started the year anticipating providing about 50 million meals of food to our community. And it looks like we will have to increase that by at least 20 percent and provide about 60 million meals into our community. On Wednesday, the government shutdown became the longest in history, eclipsing the 35-day record set during Trump's first term. Democrats on Capitol Hill are placing the blame squarely on the president. This really will come down to President Trump, because for the most part, Republicans in Congress do what Trump tells them to do. And if he tells them to negotiate and find a deal, then they will do that. But the White House says the blame lies with the Democrats. What we'd like to do is for the Democrats to open up the government, of course, then we can fund SNAP. And we can also do a lot of other good things for the American people. But in the midst of a shutdown, we can't have a federal court telling the president how he has to triage the situation. For all the people lining up at the food banks, though, it doesn't matter so much who's to blame. They just want to feed their families.

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