Texas officials began notifying the state’s poorest residents on Friday that their food benefits via the Supplemental Food Assistance and Nutrition Program, or SNAP, will be cut off in November if the federal shutdown continues past Oct. 27.

In Texas, that would mean a halt to more than $614 million to the 3.5 million who rely each month on SNAP, also known as food stamps. Of those who could be impacted, 1.7 million are children.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees the SNAP program, notified state agencies a week ago that if the shut down persists, November payments to participants would be halted.

“SNAP has funding available for benefits and operations through the month of October,” according to a letter written by the FNS office to state age

See Full Page