By Leah Douglas
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Agriculture will not use agency contingency funds to pay for food aid benefits set to lapse in November during the federal government shutdown, according to a memo seen by Reuters.
More than 41 million people are set to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, at the end of this month as the shutdown keeps Congress from funding the program.
Mayors and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have said the USDA should use $5 billion in contingency funds to partially fund November benefits. The memo said the agency will not draw on the funds because they are “not legally available” to cover the benefits and will reserve them for responding to natural disasters and other emergencies.
“SNAP contingency funds are only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits. The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists,” said the memo.
The memo also said the agency will not use other agency funds for SNAP or reimburse states that fund benefits themselves. Virginia on Thursday declared a state of emergency to free up funds for November benefits.
The memo blamed Congressional Democrats for the shutdown. Democrats and Republicans have traded blame for the shutdown, with Democrats withholding votes on a spending bill to keep healthcare costs from spiking for many Americans.
The USDA’s shutdown plan had included the potential use of contingency funds for SNAP. That plan had been taken off the USDA’s website Friday afternoon.
The USDA did not immediately respond to questions about the plan.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio)