5,000 in Orleans are on SNAP with EBT cards going empty due to federal shutdown

Chart on monthly SNAP benefits from NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

ALBION – Orleans County has 5,146 residents receiving SNAP benefits that are due to run out in a few days and won’t be refilled until the federal government shutdown is over.

That is a big concern for Holli Nenni, the county’s commissioner of the Department of Social Services.

“I’m scared people will go hungry,” she said. “We’re worried people literally won’t have food.”

In New York, there are 2.9 million SNAP recipients or 14 percent of the population. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program issues monthly electronic benefits through EBT cards that can be used to purchase food at authorized retail food stores.

The SNAP benefits are for children, elderly and disabled residents, with eligibility and benefit levels based on household size, income and other factors.

The program dates back to the Great Depression in the 1930s, and has never been disrupted due to a budget stalemate. In The past during a budget shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has used emergency funds to continue funding the program, but the USDA said it won’t do that this time.

That has promoted attorneys general and governors from 26 states, including New York, to sue the USDA for suspending SNAP benefits during the federal shutdown.

Attorney General Letitia James said USDA can tap into contingency funds to keep SNAP going during the shutdown.

“Millions of Americans are about to go hungry because the federal government has chosen to withhold food assistance it is legally obligated to provide,” James said in a news release today. “SNAP is one of our nation’s most effective tools to fight hunger, and the USDA has the money to keep it running. There is no excuse for this administration to abandon families who rely on SNAP, or food stamps, as a lifeline. The federal government must do its job to protect families.”