by Hailey Earls
Since Oct. 1, the federal government shutdown has dragged on, and now it has hit home for many people in Oklahoma. The government announced it won’t deliver Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to Oklahoma residents in November.
For a lot of families, that is devastating news. Congress started this shutdown due to lawmakers failing to agree on how to fund the government—or even pass a short-term plan to keep things moving. The shutdown is due to a standoff between the Democrats and Republicans in Congress being unable to agree on a spending budget.
The Antideficiency Act enforces that agencies cannot function without authorized funds. As a result, when there’s no agreement, departments close or reduce operations until lawmakers approve a new budget. Without a budget agreement, the Antideficiency Act pushes many government operations to hold or scale back.
While essential services such as national defense, air traffic control and Social Security payments continue, programs like SNAP depend on federal funding that expires during a shutdown. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services said more than 684,600 Oklahomans rely on SNAP each month for grocery assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently told the state that if Congress does not approve new appropriations, SNAP funding was suspended starting Nov. 1. In a statement released Oct. 21, OKDHS confirmed: “October benefits will continue to be processed and issued as usual. If the federal government shutdown continues, SNAP benefits will be suspended starting November 1, 2025.”
“We are very concerned about how this delay will impact people all across the state,” said Jeffrey Cartmell, director of Oklahoma Human Services. “I think there’s a concern about what that looks like from the perspective of hunger security, from the perspective of malnutrition, from the perspective of a vulnerable adult or child,” said Cartmell. “You’re talking about serious consequences for 600,000 Oklahomans.”
There won’t be any issuance of new benefits for November unless Congress provides additional appropriations. This pause in benefits impacts both the urban and rural areas. In rural Oklahoma where the food insecurity rate is already high, the families rely significantly on the monthly assistance. This would also impact the urban areas as the cities like Oklahoma City and Tulsa might face the effect of the grocery stores as well as the retail outlets that accept the EBT card.
Food banks across the state are getting ready for a surge in demand. The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma said it is mobilizing resources and volunteers in preparation of a potential rise in need. The last prolonged shutdown, which lasted 35 days from late 2018 into early 2019, had major impacts on federal employees and low-income households.
Should it happen again, analysts fear it would deepen economic hardship across the state, as food prices remain high. For now, state officials urge Oklahomans to stay informed through OKDHS announcements and seek help from local food banks and community organizations as benefits lapse. As the political stalemate continues in Washington, its effects are being felt far from the Capitol — in Oklahoma homes, grocery stores and food pantry lines.
