States Worry About Filling Gap In Food Aid

A federal food aid program that helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries stands to be paused Nov. 1 because of the government shutdown. Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia say they’ll keep the programs alive, though how they’ll do it isn’t clear. Even some states that want to step in to fill the gap have found they can’t. Recipients of the food aid, food banks, states and advocates are bracing for a pause to payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at the end of next week. Some states have looked into funding food assistance themselves but they’re finding that federal control of some key details of the program is a major obstacle.