Government shutdown threatens SNAP benefits for Dallas families

DALLAS — For Rosie Taylor, almost everything depends on one basket.

On Wednesday, she pushed her basket through Aunt Bette’s Community Pantry in South Dallas.

“Aunt Bettye’s is where my end makes my other end meet,” said Taylor, a SNAP benefits recipient.

Each month, Taylor visits the pantry to pick up what her benefits don’t cover. But she never thought her next meal would depend on politics.

“I don't want to cry because the government is shutting down. It hurts. It hurts bad,” said Taylor.

This is the second-longest government shutdown in the nation’s history , surpassing the 1995-1996 shutdown under President Bill Clinton. As of Wednesday, Oct. 22, the government has been shut down for 22 days. The fear is that programs such as SNAP, which feed millions of lower-income families