BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The federal government shutdown continues as the U.S. Agriculture Secretary warns the food stamp program could run out of money in two weeks, with funds drying up.

Louisiana residents rely heavily on food stamps, with over 18% of the population using them, 6% higher than the national average. The potential loss adds pressure to a state that already has some of the highest food insecurity rates in the country.

“We’re third highest in the nation at this point for both of those areas. So it’s really a challenge and we’re seeing more and more grandparents raising their grandchildren, which, you know, is a double whammy when you look at those two areas being the most in need,” said Mike Manning, CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

Manning said the food bank fu

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