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Dear Friend,
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in Fiscal Year 2024, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) served about 41.7 million individuals per month to keep their families fed.
Tomorrow, on November 1, 2025, SNAP will expire, and President Trump has stated that they will not disperse the more than $5 billion in the SNAP contingency fund to recipients for November. The SNAP contingency fund exists for this reason, and the Department of Agriculture Secretary has the transfer authority to ensure full benefits are released.
SNAP provides food assistance to many of your neighbors, including some of you who may be reading this now. According to a Fiscal Year 2023 USDA report, this also includes:
- 16 million children nationwide
- 8 million seniors ages 60+ nationwide
- 4 million people with disabilities nationwide
- 1.2 million veterans nationwide
- Over 750,000 Oregonians
The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has already confirmed in the 2018-2019 shutdown that the Administration could use these funds in a situation exactly like this. Federal law is clear: "Assistance under this program shall be furnished to all eligible households."
When SNAP benefits are cut or withheld, the impact extends far beyond individuals:
I’m calling on my Republican colleagues in Congress and the Trump Administration to immediately release the SNAP contingency funds and use their legal transfer authority to ensure that families in Oregon’s Sixth District and across the country can put food on the table in November.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by the government shutdown, please share your story with me by clicking on the link here.
The bottom line is that, between the $186 billion in SNAP cuts made in H.R. 1 and other Republican policies, life is becoming more costly for millions of seniors, children, veterans, mothers, and many of our friends and neighbors.
If you or someone you know needs food assistance, please visit the Oregon Department of Human Services by clicking the link here. My office is open during a government shutdown. Feel free to call with any questions, comments, and or concerns at (503) 385-0906 or visit salinas.house.gov/contact.
Be well,
Andrea Salinas
Member of Congress |