State Pauses SNAP Payments and Warns of Potential Impacts Come November

 SNAP (food stamps) is a critical resource that people in our community rely on to make ends meet. To give you a sense of the scale, this time last year, Allegheny County residents received $31 million in monthly SNAP benefits to purchase food items at local grocers. When the federal government shut down on September 30, SNAP was funded only through October 2025.

On October 10, the USDA notified states that there are not enough funds to cover benefits for November and ordered them to not issue any benefits for November until the shutdown is resolved. Pennsylvania DHS (the entity responsible for administering SNAP in PA) alerted SNAP recipients about this on October 17th by updating their website and posting signs at their offices, and additional notifications will go out by mail soon.

Here’s what we know right now:

• Monthly SNAP benefits have already been paid for October. The earliest impact to most SNAP recipients would be November 3. However, payments are now paused in PA, including for new applications (which includes “expedited SNAP” for emergency needs).
• People must still complete applications and eligibility paperwork. People can and should continue to apply for benefits while payments are paused so they can receive benefits when payments resume. Additionally, the federal shutdown does not change the requirements for SNAP recipients to respond to eligibility or renewal requests from the State. This includes the additional documentation that SNAP recipients are required to submit following recent federal changes. 
• State offices and phone lines remain open and SNAP recipients can still visit and call state offices for help.  

 While most families eligible for SNAP are not feeling the impact yet, this could change dramatically on November 3. 

If the federal government remains shut down and SNAP benefits are not paid out on November 3, over 160,000 people in Allegheny County will not receive payments. Over 50,000 of those impacted will be children. While we have emergency food resources that people can access through 2-1-1, those resources could not come close to absorbing the over $30 million in lost benefits that would occur if SNAP payments stopped. 

PA DHS is awaiting confirmation from USDA that if November benefits are delayed, families will still receive the benefits they are entitled to when funds are released, including that late-October SNAP applicants will receive pro-rated benefits (like they typically would) when the federal government shutdown ends and payments become available. 

As the situation evolves, we are committed to getting clear and credible information as quickly as possible and sharing it with you so we can work together to respond to our community’s needs.

We thank you for your commitment during this time.