Hundreds of thousands of low-income Washington residents could lose access to food benefits on Nov. 1 because of the partial federal government shutdown, state health officials warned Wednesday.
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services said all Basic Food assistance benefits will end Oct. 31 because of a lack of federal funding. That includes November food benefits under the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Nearly 930,000 people in Washington — or more than 1 in 10 state residents — were enrolled in SNAP as of September, receiving more than $173 million in monthly food benefits, according to federal data. More than half are in families with children.
Hundreds of DSHS employees who support the SNAP program in Washington might be affected through temporary layoffs beginning Nov. 4, according to the agency. Starting that day, tribal outstations and mobile office teams will also not be staffed until the federal government reopens.
The state health department is still accepting applications for all benefits, but new requests, eligibility reviews and midcertification reviews for food benefits will not be processed during the shutdown, officials said.
All these potential changes will impact customer experience, likely with longer wait times in our call centers and offices," the agency said in a statement. "Thank you in advance for your continued patience."
Existing funds on EBT cards will remain after October, and unused funds will continue to roll over into the next month, officials said. Grocery stores and other retailers will also continue to accept benefits.
Washington is among more than two dozen states that have issued warnings about federally funded food benefits ending next month.
The partial shutdown, which began Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass a stopgap funding measure before the Sept. 30 deadline, is now creeping into its fourth week. Republicans and Democrats have pointed fingers at one another for the ongoing shutdown.
In a statement, Gov. Bob Ferguson placed the blame squarely on President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for "this unnecessary crisis."
"These political games are harming the most vulnerable Washingtonians," Ferguson said.
State agencies, local governments and community organizations have struggled to deliver vital services to their most vulnerable residents amid the shutdown, navigating service interruptions, funding delays and widespread layoffs.
Already, food banks and social service agencies were strained to meet a new wave of demand, as slashes under the federal budget signed by Trump this summer are expected to kick thousands of low-income residents off food stamps.
"If they’re putting several hundred dollars toward groceries because they don’t have EBT cards filled, that means several hundred dollars they’re not able to put toward rent or energy bills or childcare or medication," said Cade Schmidt, a spokesperson for Hopelink, which operates five food banks in North and East King County.
Roughly 170,000 people in Washington are poised to lose access to food stamps. Under a new work requirement, able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 must work at least 80 hours per month to qualify for food assistance, up from age 54. Monthly benefits for those who remain on SNAP could be reduced as much as an average of about $56, state officials have said.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., along with 45 other Senate Democrats, sent a letter Wednesday to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute contingency funding.
"Any halt in SNAP funding will have devastating impacts for program beneficiaries, increasing food insecurity and undermining family budgets, she and others wrote.
The state’s Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program recently received additional funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to maintain food benefits through mid-November, officials announced Thursday. That program serves more than 212,000 low-income Washington residents annually.
Nationwide, about 41.7 million Americans received SNAP benefits each month in fiscal year 2024. Benefits averaged about $187 per person per month, costing nearly $100 billion annually in federal funding.
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