• The administration would support extending nutrition assistance programs if a government shutdown occurs
  • SNAP recipients should receive October benefits, but November payments face uncertainty
  • The Office of Management and Budget has ordered agencies to draft permanent job elimination plans rather than temporary furloughs

Shutdown Preparations Intensify

The White House has signaled it would back extending nutrition assistance programs as the federal government prepares for a potential shutdown with the expiration of current funding on October 1. The administration's position comes amid ongoing congressional negotiations that have yet to produce either full appropriations bills or a continuing resolution to maintain government operations.

According to people familiar with the matter, the Office of Management and Budget has instructed agencies to identify programs where discretionary funding will lapse and has ordered them to draft reduction-in-force plans that would permanently eliminate jobs rather than impose temporary furloughs. This represents a significant departure from past shutdown practices where employees were typically furloughed but reinstated once funding was restored.

SNAP Benefits Face Complex Outlook

Current accounting procedures provide some near-term protection for nutrition programs. SNAP recipients should receive their October 2025 payments even if a shutdown occurs, according to updated Food and Nutrition Service guidance. The agency's accounting process considers the upcoming month's benefits to be "obligated" in the prior month when issuance files are sent to EBT vendors, effectively extending current appropriations to cover benefits for the first month of the next federal fiscal year.

However, the situation becomes more precarious for November benefits. If USDA fails to instruct states to transmit necessary electronic files on time due to a prolonged shutdown, delays become almost inevitable. Each state operates on its own internal processing schedule, and missing deadlines would leave households without access to food assistance.

WIC Program Faces Immediate Pressure

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children confronts a more challenging situation than in previous shutdowns. Unlike the 2018 shutdown that occurred after the fiscal year began when states had already received some annual funding, states would not have received any funding for fiscal year 2026 in the current scenario.

A Food and Nutrition Service spokesperson, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly, confirmed that WIC maintains some ability to draw on contingency funding and states can retain and use a percentage of the previous year's funding. "We're exploring every available option to minimize disruption to vulnerable populations," the spokesperson said.

Accounting Controversy Adds Complexity

The benefit delivery system operates against the backdrop of an unresolved accounting dispute. In February 2025, the U.S. Government Accountability Office raised concerns with USDA's accounting practices related to obligating funds across fiscal years. GAO concluded that the USDA's approach of obligating fiscal year 2023 funds for October 2023 benefits due in fiscal year 2024 violated both the recording statute and the bona fide needs statute.

USDA has not commented on the GAO findings, and some legal experts argue the conclusions are not binding. Nevertheless, the unresolved dispute creates uncertainty about the legal framework for future benefit obligations across fiscal years.

State-Level Responses Emerge

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to deploy the California National Guard in response to the risk of delayed food assistance affecting millions in the state who receive CalFresh benefits, California's version of SNAP. The move signals growing concern among state leaders about the potential economic impact on low-income families.

If a shutdown extends beyond mid-October, USDA could technically tap its contingency reserve funding to cover SNAP costs. Under the prior administration, this reserve stood at $6 billion, though it remains unclear how much is currently available or whether the current administration would choose to use it.

Efforts to reach OMB Director Russ Vought for comment on the permanent job elimination strategy were unsuccessful. People familiar with the administration's thinking say the approach is intended to heighten pressure in the spending standoff with Democrats in Congress.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the status of WIC contingency funding. The program maintains contingency funds that could be accessed during a shutdown.