(TJV NEWS) Millions of Americans who rely on federal food assistance could be left without aid as the ongoing government shutdown drags on, Fox News reported several times. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serves roughly 42 million people nationwide, faces a potential funding shortfall starting Nov. 1, according to a memo the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent to state agencies.

Over two dozen states have already alerted residents to possible lapses in SNAP funding. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency over the program on Thursday.

Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World, told Fox News Digital that SNAP requires about $8 billion each month and that shortages will affect people across the country. “It impacts not just pockets of people, but people all around the country,” he said. Cho also explained that the impact varies by state since SNAP is federally funded but administered locally.

The shutdown also threatens the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, which serves nearly 7 million vulnerable mothers and children under age 5, Fox News reported.

The political blame falls squarely on Democrats, who have resisted agreeing to Republicans’ funding plan for over a month, demanding concessions on healthcare before reopening the government. USDA officials told Fox News Digital that Senate Democrats are at an “inflection point”: continue holding out for expanded healthcare for illegal immigrants or allow critical programs like SNAP and WIC to lapse.

House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), whose committee oversees SNAP, told Fox News Digital, “Millions of American families are about to lose access to food assistance because Democrats are openly admitting to being afraid of their far-left base and refuse to reopen the government. We need to reopen the government so families can put food on the table and our farmers are supported.”

The Trump administration has taken temporary measures to cover some shortfalls, including reallocating $300 million from tariff revenues to WIC and moving Pentagon R&D funds to pay military personnel, but these are stopgap solutions.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) claimed the administration could tap a $5 billion SNAP contingency fund, but Republicans argue Democrats’ refusal to end the shutdown is directly putting food benefits at risk, Fox News reported.

If the stalemate continues, millions of Americans may face real hunger, leaving Democrats politically vulnerable as critics warn that their obstruction is literally impacting families’ ability to eat.