Around 384,800 Mississippians who rely on food assistance will not be able to access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits starting Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown, the Mississippi Department of Human Services announced late Friday.
SNAP benefits may be “delayed or may not be issued” next month, the agency said in a press release.
“The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has directed states not to transmit the EBT issuance files to EBT vendors until further notice,” MDHS said in a Friday press release. “As a result, no new SNAP benefits will be issued for November unless federal guidance changes.”
It is unclear when states will be able to start issuing SNAP benefits again, the agency said. MDHS originally said late Friday afternoon that the agency was not sure whether SNAP beneficiaries would be able to continue using previous months’ benefits starting Nov. 1. However, the agency issued a correction shortly after 8 p.m. Friday.
“Currently, SNAP clients will maintain access to previous month’s benefits. MDHS advises our clients who have unused SNAP benefits from October or previous months to make eligible purchases with those benefits. Because the length of the shutdown is uncertain, MDHS recommends that clients purchase shelf-stable items such as canned goods,” the agency said in the updated press release Friday evening.
The USDA, which oversees the federal SNAP program, sent a letter on Oct. 10 to state agencies that said if the lack of federal funding continues, the agency would have “insufficient funds” to pay the full cost for all of November’s benefits.
About 13% of Mississippians, or around 384,800 people, receive food stamps, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities data from January 2025 show. Of those who receive SNAP benefits, 67% are families with children, 41% are families who are older adults or disabled, and 26% are working families, the center reports.
Mississippi is one of at least 25 states that will shut down SNAP benefits starting Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown, Politico reported.
University of California, San Francisco professor Dr. Hilary Seligman, an expert in food insecurity, told the Mississippi Free Press that people who lose their SNAP benefits will often reduce the quality of food that they eat in order to buy more affordable foods. Those more affordable options are often unhealthy and heavily processed, but are ultimately cheaper than healthy, fresh food. People who lose their SNAP benefits may also buy less food and eat less in order to save money on groceries, she said.
“We know that when children are well-fed and have healthy food at home, they come to school more able to learn, to focus and to have good behavior in school. We know when SNAP benefits get reduced, there’s more absenteeism from school. This doesn’t set children up for a healthy future, either,” Seligman said on July 14.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services is encouraging SNAP recipients to visit this website for SNAP updates and local food resources.
MDHS also pointed to the following three food pantries in the state that residents in need can visit:
This story has been updated to include MSDH’s clarification that SNAP recipeints will be able to continue using benefits received before Nov. 1.
