Food assistance safe through October, but at risk if shutdown continues

By GEOFF MULVIHILL and MORGAN LEE, Associated Press

A federal program that provides food assistance to 40 million low-income people could be at risk in November if the government shutdown isn’t resolved by then.

And in at least some places, new applications for the program are not being approved.

But there’s still a lot of uncertainty about the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, a vestige of a previous incarnation of food aid.

Here’s a look at where things stand.

The food aid program benefits 1 in 8 people in the US

SNAP is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net, touching nearly 1 in 8 people in the country each month. They receive benefits on prepaid cards that they can use for groceries.

The other big pieces of the safety net — Soci