SNAP benefits used to purchase food by nearly a half-million low-income New Mexicans are being used as a bargaining chip in the government shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will not pay for the food assistance program next month if the shutdown continues. It's part of Republicans' efforts to force Democrats to accept even larger cuts to health care.
Sovereign Hager, attorney and public benefits director for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, said unlike past shutdowns, there is no contingency plan in place to protect SNAP recipients.
"All of these cuts have the impact of making the program more costly to administer, and then what it means in people's lives day-to-day is that they don't have food to feed their kids. So, it's a pretty dark place we're in right now," she explained.
The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is now the second-longest in history. Democrats are demanding an extension of enhanced subsidies that benefit some 22 million people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say they won't negotiate the issue until the government is reopened. The potential disruption in benefits comes amid deep cuts to the program following passage of the federal reconciliation bill this summer.
Hager said SNAP benefits already are inadequate, and typically spent by the second week of the month. She believes the situation shows a lack of respect and care for the dignity of people who need food to stay alive. She said many people are panicked.
"Where will people turn? We have a really amazing system of food distribution through our food banks in New Mexico, but they cannot meet the need that is fulfilled through SNAP benefits," she continued. "Already we know people getting SNAP benefits, over 70%, also use food banks."
It's estimated that for every meal a food pantry provides, the federal SNAP program provides nine. New work requirements for recipients also were included in the budget reconciliation bill, which could lead to more than one-million Americans losing benefits each month starting on Nov. 1.
New Mexico has the highest rate of SNAP recipients in the country.