SNAP benefits threatened by government shutdown. How many in Macon will be affected?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Department of Human Services announced Friday that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits won’t go out on Nov. 1 if the federal government shutdown hasn’t been stopped by then.

A notice posted to the Georgia Department of Human Services website said there are “insufficient funds” to keep providing SNAP benefits if federal funding is not restored by the time they are set to go out this weekend.

“DHS understands how important SNAP benefits are to Georgia families and is closely monitoring the situation,” the notice said.

SNAP benefits are funded by the federal government and distributed to eligible households through state governments. The government shutdown — which started on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to reach an agreement on a bill to fund the government — threatens to deprive thousands across Middle Georgia of necessary benefits to access food.

According to data from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, 23% of Bibb County’s 157,000-plus residents received SNAP benefits in 2024. In Houston County, those same numbers showed 12% of residents used SNAP benefits last year, and 10% of residents did so in Monroe County.

Democratic Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock put out a statement Monday urging President Donald Trump’s administration to sustain SNAP.

“We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November,” Sens. Ossoff and Warnock wrote. “Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance.”