One in every 8 Americans receives food aid.. What’s the story?

US government shutdown

One of these program beneficiaries is Eric Dunham, 36 years old, who was disabled after an accident and relies on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to meet his basic needs.

Denham said: "If I don’t get food assistance, I won’t be able to afford food"explaining that after covering all his expenses, he only has $24 a month left.

Denham, a father of two teenagers, added: "That’s all I have. The rest goes to child support"

The budget between Republicans and Democrats

Since the closure of federal government institutions on October 1 due to ongoing disagreements over the budget between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, the administration of President Donald Trump announced that it would not be able to finance the program. "Snap" As of Saturday, it was the first suspension of the program since its inception six decades ago.

A federal judge intervened on Friday and ordered the government to use emergency funds to keep the benefits program running, and Trump expressed his willingness to keep its funding.

But many recipients had their aid damaged amid these bureaucratic struggles.

American SNAP Program

Denham, who works in the service sector, albeit part-time since the accident, was able to get some sandwiches and drinks in the afternoon. Saturday, distributed by the restaurant "Petit beignet and tapioca" In northwest Houston.

Restaurant owner Nan Ngo, 37, said: "There are a lot of layoffs, and on top of that, we have a government shutdown and SNAP benefits, no one knew what was going to happen, so I made sandwiches for our beneficiaries so they could at least eat one meal."

Even though Dunham was unable to use his Snap card to pay for Lingo’s food, he gave him a warm hug expressing his gratitude.

Food Aid in America

Elsewhere in the city, thousands of people who did not receive food aid or feared they would not soon line up in their cars in front of a stadium. "NRG" The Food Bank in Houston distributes fruit and non-perishable food items.

Food Bank President Brian Greene stated that the cessation of the Snap program affects "About 425,000 families in the Houston area alone".

He added "Therefore, all local communities are making efforts to help these families manage their affairs in the meantime"

Repercussions of the government shutdown in America

Despite the issuance of a court order to resume funding for the program during the shutdown period, Green explained "It will be several days before states can restart the program. They all had to stop because they ran out of money"

The issue of benefits affected Sandra Guzman, a 36-year-old mother of two who applied for food aid vouchers last week, but was informed that they were not available. She was forced to search for food aid elsewhere in the meantime.

Guzman said: "It is not about something exceptional or luxurious, but rather something as basic as providing food for my children. I think food stamps cover 40% of my expenses".