As US federal food aid lapses, most states unable to fill the void

For Roma Hammonds, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, food stamps have been a lifeline since taking custody of her grandchildren five years ago.

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Ms. Hammonds, 60, who cannot work because of a physical disability, has relied on her $563 in monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to feed her family of four and to afford other bills like rent, she said.

But her November benefits may not be issued by the US government due to the ongoing federal shutdown, and Tennessee is among the vast majority of states that have said they cannot pay for the aid themselves.

"I don’t know what I'll do,” Ms. Hammonds said.

Ms. Hammonds is one of the roughly 41 million SNAP recipients wading into a potential historic lapse of the 60-year-old food aid program, which sends roughly $8 billion each month to low-income Americans in every state.

Neither Congress nor the administration of President Donald Trump has acted to fund benefits. Two federal judges ruled that the administration cannot block November SNAP benefits and must use about $5 billion in agency contingency funds to pay for them, requiring updates by Monday on compliance with their rulings.

The US Department of Agriculture did not respond to questions about how it will react to the ruling or share any details of a plan to pay benefits.