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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has posted a announcement connected its website saying national nutrient assistance volition not spell retired connected November 1, raising the stakes for families nationwide arsenic the authorities shutdown drags on.
The caller announcement comes aft the Trump medication said it would not pat astir $5 cardinal successful contingency funds to support benefits done the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to arsenic SNAP, flowing into November. That programme helps astir 1 successful 8 Americans bargain groceries.
"Bottom line, the good has tally dry," the USDA announcement says. "At this time, determination volition beryllium nary benefits issued connected November 01. We are approaching an inflection constituent for Senate Democrats."
The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is present the second-longest connected record. While the Republican medication took steps starring up to the shutdown to guarantee SNAP benefits were paid this month, the cutoff would grow the interaction of the impasse to a wider swath of Americans - and immoderate of those astir successful request - unless a governmental solution is recovered successful conscionable a fewer days.
The medication blames Democrats, who accidental they volition not hold to reopen the authorities until Republicans negociate with them connected extending expiring subsidies nether the Affordable Care Act. Republicans accidental Democrats indispensable archetypal hold to reopen the authorities earlier negotiations.
Democratic lawmakers person written to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting to usage contingency funds to screen the bulk of adjacent month's benefits.
But a USDA memo that surfaced Friday says "contingency funds are not legally disposable to screen regular benefits." The papers says the wealth is reserved for things similar helping radical successful catastrophe areas.
It cited a tempest named Melissa, which has strengthened into a large hurricane, arsenic an illustration of wherefore it's important to person the wealth disposable to mobilize rapidly successful the lawsuit of a disaster.
The imaginable of families not receiving nutrient assistance has profoundly acrophobic states tally by some parties.
Some states person pledged to support SNAP benefits flowing adjacent if the national programme halts payments, but determination are questions astir whether U.S. authorities directives whitethorn let that to happen. The USDA memo besides says states would not beryllium reimbursed for temporarily picking up the cost.
Other states are telling SNAP recipients to beryllium acceptable for the benefits to stop. Arkansas and Oklahoma, for example, are advising recipients to place nutrient pantries and different groups that assistance with food.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., accused Republicans and Trump of not agreeing to negotiate.
"The world is, if they sat down to effort to negotiate, we could astir apt travel up with thing beauteous quickly," Murphy said Sunday connected CNN's "State of the Union." "We could unfastened up the authorities connected Tuesday oregon Wednesday, and determination wouldn't beryllium immoderate situation successful the nutrient stamp program."
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