With a potential government shutdown looming over the United States, federally-funded programs, such as SNAP that nearly 900,000 Virginians rely on, are in jeopardy.
NORFOLK, Va. — The risk of the U.S. government shutting down due to a stall in budget negotiations is putting federal food assistance programs in jeopardy.
Eddie Oliver, the executive director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, said it’s concerning to see the potential impacts of Congress’s failure to reach an agreement.
“There’s nothing more stressful than not knowing if you’re going to have enough food for your young children,” Oliver said. “Some states have emergency funds and some don’t. So, it’s all this uncertainty, which impacts every facet of the economy, and puts us in a dangerous position of increasing food insecurity.”
With limited emergency funding, mothers and children with the WIC program could lose benefits almost immediately. SNAP benefits will last, at least, …