More than 1.4 million federal employees missed their first full paychecks on Friday as the government shutdown enters its fifth week. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture warns that food aid to 42 million people could be cut off starting November 1, as the Trump administration refuses to use a $5 billion contingency fund to maintain SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, popularly known as food stamps.
Gina Plata-Nino from the Food Research and Action Center says the loss of SNAP benefits will have cascading impacts as credit card debt soars, rent payments are delayed and food banks get overrun. "We are going to see a decrease in people's well-being," says Plata-Nino.
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