Eleven Republicans and one Democrat have joined Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley's proposal to provide funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as the ongoing government shutdown risks interrupting the program next month.
SNAP is funded by the federal government through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Each year, Congress must pass a budget or a temporary funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, to give the USDA authority to spend money on the program. Once funding is approved, the USDA distributes money to state agencies, which in turn issue monthly benefits to participants through electronic benefit transfer cards.
If Congress fails to pass a funding bill, the USDA can only rely on money that was previously approved. When those funds run out, it cannot issue new SNAP payments until Congress authorizes more funding. This means SNAP benefits for 42 million low- and no-income beneficiaries nationwide will not be delivered indefinitely if the government shutdown continues.
Hawley's bill, the Keep SNAP Funded Act, would ensure that the USDA can keep paying SNAP benefits, even when Congress hasn't passed a new budget or temporary funding bill.
It would also cover any missed SNAP payments dating back to September 30, 2025 and remain in effect until Congress approves full or temporary funding for the 2026 fiscal year.
The bill is sponsored by Republican Senators James Lankford (Oklahoma), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee), Bernie Moreno (Ohio), Kevin Cramer (North Dakota), Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), Katie Britt (Alabama), Jon Husted (Ohio), and John Cornyn (Texas). Senator Peter Welch (Vermont) is the only Democrat in the Senate to co-sponsor the bill.
Writing in The New York Times, Hawley said there is "no reason any of these residents of my state -- or any other American who qualifies for food assistance -- should go hungry."
"We can afford to provide the help. Preventing debilitating poverty through the food program costs only about a 10th of our annual defense budget. Of course, aid should be limited to those who truly need it. But there is no cause, and no excuse, to deny aid to the poor entirely.
Senator Hawley said: Congress can still pass legislation during a shutdown, and it should pass my bill to keep SNAP benefits going.
Senator Moreno said: "I'm proud to team up with my Republican colleagues to protect SNAP since Democrats won't."
Senator Welch said: "I'm working across the aisle because a lapse in federal nutrition assistance would hurt more than 41 million Americans -- from Vermont to Missouri, and beyond. The Keep SNAP Funded Act is a common sense, bipartisan bill. I urge Senate leadership to bring this bill to the floor, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it. If the Trump Administration refuses to use the money it has to fund the program during this shutdown, Congress must step in."
The bill has been referred to the Senate committee on appropriations.