By Charlotte Snoonian
Boston University News Service
A U.S. District judge in Boston Friday ordered the Trump Administration to continue to distribute SNAP funding during the government shutdown using contingency funds.
The ruling comes just one day before almost 42 million Americans anticipated losing their benefits as the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it couldn’t fund SNAP during the shutdown.
“A shutdown shouldn’t starve America.” “If you can fund tax cuts, you can fund SNAP.” The message was clear during a rally in front of the Statehouse as tears were shed and signs were plastered with messages directed towards the government.
As over one million Massachusetts residents lost SNAP benefits on Nov. 1, the loss could become part of a much larger problem for those dependent on assistance programs funded by the federal government.
According to Rep. Leigh Davis, D-Great Barrington, expanded work requirements to be eligible for SNAP benefits – in addition to a lack of funding available for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program – could cause increased hardships as winter arrives.
“We’re just bracing ourselves for the worst and hoping that the federal government can get together and sit in the same room and figure it out,” said Davis.
On Oct. 28, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced the state would be filing a lawsuit with over two dozen other states against the USDA for unlawfully withholding SNAP benefits.
Davis said the state does not have the capacity to subsidize the $240 million the commonwealth receives monthly for SNAP benefits. Gov. Maura Healey announced Thursday that the state will advance $4 million to food pantries across Massachusetts to assist in covering increased need.
Advocates have pushed for the state to tap into its rainy day fund, which totals $8 billion, but Healey said those funds won’t be touched.
The governor has announced two partnerships with organizations that can help the state of food insecurity right now. A partnership with Project Bread allows residents to call for information about where the nearest food pantries are, and they can assist with any other questions residents have. United Way of Massachusetts Bay has opened a response fund that has already raised over $1 million in donations.
Davis said she is seeing lines already growing substantially at food pantries. According to a 2024 report by the Department of Transitional Assistance, one in six Massachusetts residents rely on SNAP each month, so food pantries could experience much higher demand as long as SNAP benefits are withheld.
Beth Collins, a Mansfield resident and advocate for veterans and food security, noted the impact a lack of SNAP benefits will have on vulnerable populations like children, seniors, people with disabilities and veterans.
“There are so many who are disabled that are wheelchair bound and do not have people that can care for them,” she said. “These are the folks that are receiving stamps that will be forgotten.”
On top of vulnerable populations being affected[JB1], Hannah Koehn with Project Bread said this lapse in funding could have a “trickle-down effect” on the economy. According to the National Grocers Association, SNAP funding helps support 388,000 jobs nationwide, generates $20 billion in direct wages and produces over $4.5 billion in state and federal tax revenue.
“Even if you’re not a SNAP recipient, you’re going to feel the impact of not having SNAP in the community,” Koehn said.
The USDA estimates that every $1 in SNAP benefits generates about $1.50. Davis emphasized the importance of SNAP for the Massachusetts economy.
As SNAP funding and other program cuts loom, Davis said she worries about the impact if the lapse continues into December due to the holidays and weather getting colder.
“We’re going to have a lot of decisions to make as a legislature to see what gaps we can fill in,” said Davis.
This article was originally written for the Boston University Statehouse Program.
