Democrats are working to balance their health care demands and find solutions for SNAP, with Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján on Wednesday introducing legislation that would direct the USDA to release available contingency funds to ensure benefits under SNAP and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program continue during the shutdown.

Lawmakers in Louisiana approved a resolution Wednesday to allow the state's Department of Health to use up to $150 million in funding for some people who would normally receive SNAP benefits.

City Council data from 2024 shows about 20% of New York City residents receive SNAP. In the Bronx, more than 40% of people rely on it.

Food aid for more than 40 million Americans is at risk of expiring at week's end. Republican leaders in Congress said it’s all or nothing Wednesday as they rejected a Democratic push for a temporary fix.

An average of 41.7 million people, or 12.3 % of the U.S. population, received SNAP benefits each month in Fiscal Year 2024, according to the USDA. October 2025 reports indicate that about 42 million Americans participate in SNAP monthly.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — more commonly known as SNAP, or food stamps — is a key benefits program that serves more than 40 million people across the country. Now, the shutdown is threatening to suspend benefits, raising concerns over where millions of people who rely on the program will turn to for food.

The government shutdown has stretched into its fifth week, putting SNAP food assistance at risk for millions of Americans. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., joins The Weeknight with the latest.

Many food pantries in the Philadelphia region said they're serving more people now than at the height of the pandemic amid the government shutdown.

As SNAP benefits get delayed as a result of the ongoing federal shutdown, Latinx families in L.A. would disproportionately bear the brunt. Several organizations in SoCal are looking to provide relief.

The ongoing government shutdown, combined with the end of SNAP funding, has put pressure on local are food banks as federal employees go without paychecks.

Almost a month into the federal government shutdown, concerns over how this could impact Michiganders continue to loom large, especially when it comes to food assistance benefits.