About 42 million Americans are poised to lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits when federal funding comes to a halt on Nov. 1 amid the government shutdown . The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it would not use emergency funds to help cover benefits and posted a message on its website over the weekend that "the well has run dry." SNAP, sometimes called the food stamp program, is a federal safety net program with eligibility based on income, household size and household expenses. About 260,000 retailers, including supermarket chains, discount grocery stores and farmers' markets, are authorized to accept SNAP benefits and receive reimbursements for doing so. Congressional Republicans and the USDA have blamed the freeze on Senate Democrats' unwillingne

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