Nearly 200,000 in Cuyahoga County could be affected if food benefits (SNAP) are halted by government shutdown

In an attempt to prevent a critical food assistance program from halting, Cuyahoga County leaders are calling on the president and Congress to end the federal shutdown.

More than 190,000 Cuyahoga County residents are at risk of losing their November benefits to SNAP, the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to as food stamps or EBT (electronic benefit transfer). The program helps more than 40 million low-income Americans . Continued funding for SNAP is contingent on the passing of a federal budget, which has been put on pause by the shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees SNAP, does not have enough funding currently to fulfill next month’s SNAP benefits .

“We created this crisis, and we have the power and the moral obl