For Hannah Szretter, the government shutdown is more than just a political fight.

The 26-year-old Buffalo-area resident said she has had Type 1 diabetes since she was 10 and also now has a mental health disorder that prevents her from working. The $300 she receives each month in food assistance from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has been a needed lifeline to make sure she is able to maintain her blood sugar level.

“I need these benefits for my food. If I don’t get the food, I won’t be able to control my numbers,” she told NBC News. “If you don’t get it taken care of, you can lose toes or limbs, or could go blind.”

Now she is among the more than 40 million people who may not receive their November SNAP benefits as the government shutdown goes into its sixth week

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