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Federal agriculture authorities stated this past weekend that nutrition assistance payments under one of the country’s largest social assistance programs won't be issued during the coming month because of the continuing federal government shutdown.

Impasse Persists For Nearly Four Weeks

The federal closure lasted its 25th day as officials revealed the news, in response to calls from over 200 Democratic representatives asking the USDA to tap into reserve accounts to pay for next month's benefits.

“Bottom line, resources are exhausted,” officials announced. “Currently, no payments will be distributed” beginning in November.

National Consequences

Tens of millions of people rely on these food benefits, according to the USDA. Some regions, such as one southwestern state, reliance on this assistance is as high as a significant portion of citizens.

Internal communications seen by Reuters revealed that USDA officials decided against using emergency reserves to cover next month's assistance.

Partisan Impasse

Congressional leaders are still at odds regarding how to finance and restart federal agencies.

A statement from the leader of a budget research center noted that the White House could have acted to take earlier action to avoid interruption in payments.

“They had the ability and responsibility acted weeks ago to make arrangements to access these resources,” the statement continued. “Instead, it may choose not to use them to secure political leverage” as conservative leaders work to pressure Senate Democrats to vote for a funding package that would reopen government operations.

Emergency Measures

Executives in two affected states activated emergency protocols in recent days to make money available to combat potential hunger in anticipation of SNAP benefits not being issued next month.