Lawmakers push emergency measures to protect SNAP benefits during shutdown

ATLANTA — As the federal government shutdown continues, millions of Americans who rely on food assistance programs are facing growing uncertainty.

In Georgia, nearly 1.4 million people depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including 526,000 children, according to federal data.

Democratic lawmakers, including U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, are among those urging Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to utilize billions of dollars in contingency funding available to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will 'run out of money in two weeks,'" the letter notes. "In fact, the U