SNAP, which serves nearly 39 million people each month, is a federally funded program that's administered by the states. | Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images government shutdown States warn food stamp recipients to budget early benefit payments due to shutdown

State agencies are warning food stamp recipients to carefully budget their grocery purchases once they receive their February benefits weeks earlier than normal due to the partial government shutdown.

The Department of Agriculture's backup plan for paying out Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits amid the lapse in funding means it could be 40 days — or longer, in some cases — before additional money is added to recipients' benefit cards. There is also no guarantee about when nearly 39 million low-income Americans will next receive another payment to help them buy groceries.


States that have large populations of food stamp recipients — including California, Texas and Florida — are already warning recipients that they need to make February benefits last, as the early payments are issued this week. For some recipients, the accelerated timeline will result in them getting their February benefits a full month earlier than normal.

"Unless the federal shutdown is resolved, benefits for March MAY NOT be available," read a sample message California officials sent to county welfare directors to help spread the word to recipients. "We are waiting for federal guidance and will keep you informed."

When USDA officials unveiled the backup plan last week, they did not say how they intended to fund March benefits, if the spending impasse continues.

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In Ohio, another state with a large population of SNAP participants, households will see an extra month of benefits on their "Ohio Direction Card" on Wednesday, Jan. 16. The state typically doles out the monthly SNAP benefit to recipients on even-numbered days between the 2nd and the 20th of the month. The roughly 1.4 million people in Ohio who participate in the program are given an issuance date based on their case number.

"These benefits are intended for use in February," the Ohio Association of Foodbanks said in a flier to SNAP recipients this week. "You WILL NOT receive additional benefits in the month of February."

USDA announced earlier this month that it found a way to pay out $4.8 billion in February SNAP benefits using an obscure budgetary provision in an expired continuing resolution. But the plan requires benefits to be distributed to recipients by Jan. 20.

As POLITICO reported last week, pulling off the accelerated timeline nationwide — a first in the program's history — presents major logistical and communications challenges for states as well as grocery stores. SNAP, still known to many as food stamps, is a federally funded program that's administered on the state level.

Monthly benefits are loaded onto Electronic Benefits Transfer cards, known as EBT cards, which act like debit cards but can only be used to purchase groceries. The average SNAP household receives about $250 per month. Most states stagger when they release monthly SNAP benefits, in part to make it logistically easier on grocery stores.

Complicating the rollout of the shutdown-induced plan, however, is the fact that Jan. 20 falls on a Sunday during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, so many states are issuing benefits well ahead of the deadline.

In Texas, officials announced that they plan to load EBT cards — called "Lone Star Cards" in Texas — with February benefits by Jan. 20. The state typically staggers when benefits are distributed in the first half of the month, so some residents receive their monthly benefit on the 1st, others on the 3rd and so on through the 15th. About 3.5 million recipients in Texas receive a total of some $410 million in SNAP benefits per month, officials said.

"The federal government has alerted states that they can issue benefits until federal funds are no longer available; it is unclear from the federal government when that will occur," Texas Health and Human Services said this week.

In California, officials are planning to load EBT cards for their program, called CalFresh, starting Wednesday, Jan. 16, through the Jan. 20 deadline. California usually staggers the uploading of monthly benefits between the 1st and the 10th of every month. CalFresh serves about 3.8 million people.

Kim McCoy Wade, chief of the CalFresh and nutrition branch at the California Department of Social Services, issued a memo to county welfare directors thanking them for their help with the "extraordinary effort" to ensure that February benefits are paid out despite the shutdown.

California officials further urged county welfare directors to help warn program participants about the accelerated benefits schedule by posting messages on county websites, posters, telephone systems and social media.

"If you receive your February CalFresh benefits early, you should plan your food budget knowing that these benefits will be the only benefits provided through the end of February," one sample message read.

The Trump administration's backup plan did not tap into a contingency fund of $3 billion that Congress provided for the program last year. One month of SNAP benefits costs about $4.8 billion, however. USDA has declined to discuss other funding options that might be available if the shutdown is not resolved before it is time to pay out March benefits.

"Americans should have access to food, and we will use all available legal options to make that happen," Brandon Lipps, administrator of USDA's Food and Nutrition Service and the department's acting deputy undersecretary of food, nutrition and consumer services, said last week.

In Florida, where some 3 million people participate in SNAP, there is already confusion about how the early rollout will work — and a lot of questions about what will happen in March.

The Florida Department of Children and Families announced on Facebook that February SNAP benefits will be doled out on Jan. 20.

"There will not be an additional deposit in the month of February," the department wrote on Monday. The post, which has been shared more than 7,300 times, has already sparked several erroneous comments warning that the announcement is "fake news" and that benefits aren't coming early.

In the comments on Facebook, several individuals offered tips about how to make SNAP benefits last, by using coupons, shopping for sales and freezing food.

In North Carolina, where more than 840,000 people receive SNAP benefits, state officials told recipients they will get their February benefits on Jan. 20.

"Please budget for buying food wisely!" one flier read. "Additional benefits cannot be added for future months until the shutdown is resolved."

North Carolina typically loads monthly benefits between the 3rd and the 21st of every month. The dates are assigned based on the last digit of the recipient's social security number.

In Nebraska, officials announced they will distribute benefits by Jan. 20. Nebraska usually provides benefits between the 1st and the 5th of the month. The program serves 74,000 people in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said it has been experiencing "heavy" call volume to the state's customer service line, with people asking questions about SNAP. Officials in the state have urged residents concerned about SNAP to use the state website or download the ebtEDGE mobile app to monitor their benefits.

In Arkansas, officials said they will start uploading benefits on Thursday, Jan. 17, according to local press reports. The state, which has about 150,000 SNAP recipients, receives about $40 million each month in SNAP benefits.