Thousands of Kansans won’t get SNAP payments next month if shutdown continues
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Nearly 188,000 Kansans face halted November SNAP benefits if Congress stalls.
- USDA told states to stop processing benefits; funds need budget action by Oct 28, 2025.
- Kansas resists USDA data demand over privacy; legal fights may affect funding.
Nearly 188,000 Kansans who rely on federal food assistance will be left without benefits next month unless Congress can reach a deal to reopen the government by next Tuesday, the Department of Children and Families warned in a press release.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture informed states in a letter that November payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, could not be issued due to insufficient funds, the state agency said.
“The letter directs agencies to hold off on processing November benefits until further notice,” reads the Tuesday DCF release.
“Until a budget agreement or continuing resolution is reached at the federal level, or the federal government identifies a funding pathway, November SNAP benefits may be delayed or interrupted entirely,” it continues. “If no federal action is taken by October 28, 2025, November SNAP benefits will not be disbursed until the federal government reaches a resolution.”
On Monday, the Missouri Department of Social Services announced that it had received the same letter and would be indefinitely suspending benefits for more than 650,000 low-income residents.
The interruption to food assistance next month would be one of the most consequential impacts yet of a government shutdown that has now stretched into its fourth week. The longest shutdown in U.S. history lasted 35 days, from December 2018 to January 2019.
“This potential interruption in benefits comes at the start of the holiday season — an already busy time for food banks and food pantries helping people in need and when many children have days off from school without access to school meals,” the DCF release says.
SNAP provides benefits for approximately 42 million people across the country, including more than $34 million in assistance to Kansas households each month, according to DCF.
“As soon as an agreement is reached or the federal government finds an alternative funding source, and DCF receives approval from (USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service), we are prepared to act quickly with contracting partners to get benefits out to Kansans,” DCF Secretary Laura Howard said in the release.
“Depending on the timing of the approval, DCF and its partners could have benefits available on cards within 72 hours,” Howard said.
Mang Sonna, executive director of Bethel Neighborhood Center in Kansas City, Kansas, said he has already observed food insecurity on the rise in recent months. A loss of SNAP benefits could severely strain resources at Bethel and other community food pantries around the state, he said.
“I am expecting that there would more families coming to seek help with food needs,” said Sonna, who asked that people consider donating food items.
“Yesterday, in the hope that we have to put whatever we can out for food for the community, I actually bought a freezer in case we get more food, we might be ready,” Sonna said.
SNAP standoff
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the lone Democrat in the Kansas congressional delegation, said it’s unacceptable that SNAP and other safety net programs have been placed in peril. She said she’s committed to seeking solutions that will reopen the government.
“This avoidable government shutdown is threatening critical nutrition programs, putting children, seniors, and families at risk of going hungry — something no Kansan should have to face because of dysfunction in Washington,” Davids said in a statement.
“I am ready to work with anyone, in either party, to find a real bipartisan solution to reopen the government and ensure families have affordable food on the table,” she added.
The looming disruption to SNAP benefits nationwide comes as Howard and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly remain steadfast in their refusal to comply with USDA’s calls to turn over low-income families’ personal information.
The federal agency is demanding that states provide personal data, including the names, dates of birth, home addresses and Social Security numbers, of all SNAP applicants and recipients since 2020 as part of an effort to identify and root out benefits fraud.
The Kelly administration has refused to comply, contending that doing so would be a privacy breach that violates state and federal law because the USDA has indicated the data could be shared with outside groups.
In September, after issuing repeated warnings, USDA initiated the process of withholding $10.4 million in food assistance funding from Kansas. The Kelly administration appealed that decision, delaying the financial punishment and buying time for its possible reversal through the appeals process or a court order.
Last week, a federal judge in California issued a preliminary injunction blocking the USDA from making good on its threat to withhold funding from 21 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C. that sued over the data demand.
Kansas is not a party in the lawsuit, but officials have repeatedly indicated that a ruling protecting SNAP client privacy would apply to the Sunflower State.
Grace Hoge, Kelly’s press secretary, declined to comment Tuesday on the legal development in the California case.
“We won’t have a comment on that since it’s ongoing litigation,” Hoge said in an email.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Thousands of Kansans won’t get SNAP payments next month if shutdown continues."
