Congresswoman Brown Leads Bill with Congresswoman Sykes to Protect SNAP Benefits During Government Shutdown

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) joined Congresswoman Emilia Sykes (OH-13) in introducing The Feed Our Families During a Shutdown Act to ensure SNAP recipients can continue to access their benefits up to three months after a government shutdown occurs. Congresswoman Brown is a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, which has jurisdiction over the Department of Agriculture’s SNAP program. More than 1.4 million people in Ohio receive SNAP benefits, including nearly one-in-four people in Ohio’s 11^th District.

“We cannot play politics with people’s food,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown. “Almost one in every four of people in Ohio’s 11^th Congressional District relies on SNAP.  An extended shutdown putting their benefits at risk, and increasing hunger for working families, children and the elderly is unacceptable. I am proud to co-lead this critical legislation with Congresswoman Sykes and will continue to urge the Speaker and his party to avoid a shutdown and fund the government.”

“No American should ever go hungry because of Congress’ failure to fund SNAP,” said Congresswoman Sykes. “The Feed Our Families During a Shutdown Act will ensure millions of Americans, including thousands of constituents in Ohio’s 13^th Congressional District who rely on SNAP, will still be able to put food on their tables in the event of a government shutdown.”

The Feed Our Families During a Shutdown Act would prevent a potentially devastating funding cliff that will imperil the more than 40 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Because SNAP requires an annual appropriation made by Congress, millions of Americans are made vulnerable every time that Congress cannot fulfill its most basic duty – to fund the government. During the 2018-2019 shutdown, the Trump Administration was forced to exercise budgetary workarounds to ensure that SNAP recipients had access to their benefits. In 2023, USDA has noted that it has sufficient funding to maintain SNAP benefits for the month of October 2023, but that it does not have sufficient balance in its reserve fund to maintain SNAP benefits beyond that month.

The legislation would appropriate three months of funding into the SNAP reserve fund. USDA would be able to carry over that funding, reducing the outlays necessary to maintain SNAP benefits in subsequent appropriations bills.

Congresswoman Brown is also a cosponsor of The Pay Our Military Act would provide appropriations for pay and support for all members of the Armed Forces, civilian personnel at the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and associated contractors during a government shutdown.

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