Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Friday explained why the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees food assistance programs, doesn’t have the authority or funding to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) running on its own.

Funding for SNAP — a lifeline for low-income households — will expire Nov. 1, cutting off support for more than 40 million Americans.

It's a devastating reality for families living paycheck to paycheck, as the loss of SNAP benefits could mean skipped meals and growing reliance on food banks, which are already stretched thin.

During a news conference on Capitol Hill, Rollins said that there has long been a misconception that the USDA has money to fund the program. Rollins said there is a contingency fund at the USDA, but "it

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