{"id":80561,"date":"2025-10-27T12:02:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T16:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=80561"},"modified":"2025-10-27T12:02:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T16:02:59","slug":"millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions Are About to Lose Food Assistance. Most of Them Are Women and Children"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
SNAP benefits help Americans – many of them, women and children – afford groceries. Come Nov. 1, those benefits will be discontinued amid the ongoing government shutdown. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As the government shutdown<\/a> drags on, a vital food assistance<\/a> program hangs in the balance. If it\u2019s discontinued due to lack of funding, it\u2019s women \u2013 and children \u2013 who will suffer the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced<\/a> that \u201cthe well has run dry\u201d with regards to money for its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). \u201cAt this time, there will be no benefits issued\u201d come Nov. 1, USDA officials added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, about 41.7 million people<\/a> received monthly SNAP assistance by way of electronic cards with set balances that are used to purchase eligible grocery items. In all, that\u2019s 12.3% of the population. Of those beneficiaries, 63% are women<\/a>, and more than a third<\/a> are children.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n \"Michelle\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n \n Before Trump\u2019s Efforts to Make Kids Healthier, There Was Michelle Obama\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

That\u2019s due to myriad reasons, research from the National Women\u2019s Law Center shows. \u201cWomen, particularly women of color, women with disabilities, older women, immigrant women and LGBTQIA+ individuals disproportionately \u2026 experience both gender and racial discrimination in many aspects of their lives, and that hinders their ability to make ends meet,\u201d researchers wrote in a 2024 report<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They continued: \u201cWomen are overrepresented in the low-paid work force and face persistent wage gaps, which are even larger for women of color. Women also shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid family caregiving throughout their lives, which also reduces their earnings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even when SNAP is functioning normally, food insecurity is a problem for Americans, with some 17.9% of U.S. homes<\/a> with children reporting problems affording what they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts voiced concern \u2013 and displeasure \u2013 over the impending loss of assistance, and the Trump administration\u2019s lack of action on the matter. \u201cIt could have, and should have, taken steps weeks ago to be ready to use these funds,\u201d Sharon Parrott, leader of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said in a statement<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInstead,\u201d she continued, \u201csome Republicans \u201cmay choose not to use [those steps] in an effort to gain political advantage\u201d in pressuring Democratic lawmakers to agree to their terms in order to end the shutdown. It began, and has persisted, over budgeting disagreements \u2013 namely<\/a>, Democrats\u2019 interests in extending tax credits that are set to expire, and reversing President Donald Trump\u2019s Medicaid cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individual states are responding to the coming crisis in various ways, with some vowing to continue SNAP support from their own coffers. New York is one such state. There, Gov. Kathy Hochul referred to SNAP as \u201cthe moral backbone of our country\u201d and a \u201clynchpin in our economy\u201d while pledging $11 million<\/a> to the state\u2019s food-assistance programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other states however, like Massachusetts<\/a>, say they lack the means to do the same \u2013 and time will tell how individuals will navigate that coming uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n \"Rep.\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n \n She Doesn\u2019t Go Looking For Fights \u2013 \u2018But I Will Never Back Down From One\u2019\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The majority of Americans who rely upon SNAP benefits are women, many of whom are only able to afford groceries for their families with government help. On Nov. 1, that help runs out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":80562,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"The U.S. government shutdown is set to result in a spike in food insecurity.","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:l2n6ydtigm3gtra4vb4rfl7f","date":"2025-10-27T16:02:32+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:l2n6ydtigm3gtra4vb4rfl7f\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m46s5iin4g2k","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:l2n6ydtigm3gtra4vb4rfl7f\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m46s5iin4g2k\",\"cid\":\"bafyreie427ms7ocwep6yiclby2jr5wc6z6vzraojun44iym2dwwtfazwli\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreig7kmmu332wipzothidte2sqt3t4qdjbkfs56ueoh7dweez3a6dom\",\"rev\":\"3m46s5iiwuw2k\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[21447,21448,19682],"class_list":["post-80561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-happening-now","tag-food-security","tag-government-assistance","tag-women-empowerment"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMillions of Americans to Lose Food Assistance, Mostly Women<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The majority of SNAP beneficiaries in the U.S. are women. On Nov. 1, that governmental assistance will run out.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Millions Are About to Lose Food Assistance. Most of Them Are Women and Children\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The majority of Americans who rely upon SNAP benefits are women, many of whom are only able to afford groceries for their families with government help. On Nov. 1, that help runs out.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Story Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-27T16:02:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-27T16:02:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SNAP-Benefits-Women-Children-US-Government-Shutdown-Trump.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"497\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Candice Helfand-Rogers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Candice Helfand-Rogers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Millions of Americans to Lose Food Assistance, Mostly Women","description":"The majority of SNAP beneficiaries in the U.S. are women. On Nov. 1, that governmental assistance will run out.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Millions Are About to Lose Food Assistance. Most of Them Are Women and Children","og_description":"The majority of Americans who rely upon SNAP benefits are women, many of whom are only able to afford groceries for their families with government help. On Nov. 1, that help runs out.","og_url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/","og_site_name":"The Story Exchange","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","article_published_time":"2025-10-27T16:02:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-27T16:02:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":497,"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SNAP-Benefits-Women-Children-US-Government-Shutdown-Trump.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_site":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/"},"author":{"name":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f5204a83b27f87166174a6de31eaafc9"},"headline":"Millions Are About to Lose Food Assistance. Most of Them Are Women and Children","datePublished":"2025-10-27T16:02:27+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-27T16:02:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/"},"wordCount":486,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SNAP-Benefits-Women-Children-US-Government-Shutdown-Trump.jpg","keywords":["Food Security","Government Assistance","Women Empowerment"],"articleSection":["Quick Takes"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/","name":"Millions of Americans to Lose Food Assistance, Mostly Women","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SNAP-Benefits-Women-Children-US-Government-Shutdown-Trump.jpg","datePublished":"2025-10-27T16:02:27+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-27T16:02:59+00:00","description":"The majority of SNAP beneficiaries in the U.S. are women. On Nov. 1, that governmental assistance will run out.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SNAP-Benefits-Women-Children-US-Government-Shutdown-Trump.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SNAP-Benefits-Women-Children-US-Government-Shutdown-Trump.jpg","width":1024,"height":497,"caption":"SNAP Benefits Women Children US Government Shutdown Trump"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/millions-are-about-to-lose-food-assistance-most-of-them-are-women-and-children\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Millions Are About to Lose Food Assistance. Most of Them Are Women and Children"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","name":"The Story Exchange","description":"Inspiration and information for women entrepreneurs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization","name":"The Story Exchange","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","width":500,"height":180,"caption":"The Story Exchange"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","https:\/\/x.com\/TheStoryXchange","https:\/\/instagram.com\/thestoryexchange\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-story-exchange","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/StoryExchange"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f5204a83b27f87166174a6de31eaafc9","name":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","description":"Candice Helfand-Rogers has worked as a journalist for some of the largest news organizations in the country over the course of her career, including CBS Local News and The Star-Ledger. She earned her B.A. in Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers University. In her spare time, she enjoys singing with several ensembles in New York City and spending time with her son. Please contact candice@thestoryexchange.org with questions or pitches.","sameAs":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/candice-leigh-helfand\/"],"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/candice-leigh-helfand\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80561"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80561\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80567,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80561\/revisions\/80567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}