Uncertainty persists for SNAP recipients, federal workers as shutdown drags on

Workers sort tomatoes at a food pantry in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on October 29, 2025. Brian Snyder/Reuters

Laterese Johnson has roughly a week and a half to two weeks of food benefits left to feed herself and her grandchildren, a reality that sunk in over the weekend when the government shutdown forced delays in payments for food assistance.

“With the amount of SNAP benefits that I receive, it’s just enough to feed one person, but I have to share that with my grandchildren,” she told CNN’s Victor Blackwell on Saturday. “You know, it’s already a sacrifice.”

Johnson is one of millions of Americans, including food stamp recipients and federal workers, who are facing more uncertainty as the government shutdown enters its fifth week, with congressional Republicans and Democrats remaining