“Welcome to the Washington EBT customer service line,” a voice rang through the speaker of Chris P.’s phone. “ … Your food benefit balance is zero dollars and zero cents.”

Chris, of Seattle, who declined to give his last name for privacy reasons, is one of nearly 930,000 Washington residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to make ends meet.

Federal judges on Friday ordered the Trump administration to tap into emergency funds to deliver benefits even as the government shutdown jeopardized funding for the program starting Nov. 1. But it’s not clear when or if recipients will actually receive them, meaning millions of Americans could face food insecurity and hunger. That includes Chris.

Caught in uncertainty about the future of the benefits, and fearing

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