Iowans who receive food stamps are getting February's benefits this week because of the government shutdown.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be available on EBT cards Thursday instead of the regular February dates, according to the Iowa Department of Human Services.

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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asked states to push up the date when benefits are available due to the partial federal government that's now the longest in U.S. history.

Perdue said last week his agency had enough money to fund the federal food assistance program through February, but there was no immediate plan for providing assistance in March.

The Iowa Department of Human Services is encouraging recipients to budget their normal benefits to ensure they last through the month of February.

“At the Iowa Department of Human Services we understand the importance of ensuring food security for Iowans in need and will do everything we can to ensure there is as little disruption as possible,” Director Jerry Foxhoven said in a news release.

The department says it's working on contingency plans, but officials had offered no details about what's being considered to cover all or part of the $38 million Iowans receive monthly through the SNAP program should federal funding stop.

On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said he hopes the administration or Congress can find an answer before March 1.

"What do you do after February?" he said. "You’d better have something ready for 42 million people that might not get food stamps after March the 1st."