42 millions Americans are losing access to food aid as the nation’s largest anti-hunger program goes dark for the first time.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides nearly 42 million low- and no-income Americans with federal money to buy groceries.

As the government shutdown dragged into its second month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture wrote on its website that “the well has run dry” and no benefits would be issued on Nov. 1. This is the first time SNAP funding has come to a halt since the program began in 1964.

The Trump administration announced on Nov. 3 through a court filing, however, that it would allocate money to send out partial payments to SNAP participants, covering "50% of eligible households’ current allotments." Two federal judges ruled the Department of Agriculture must cover food stamps during the government shutdown.

Over two dozen states filed a lawsuit against the USDA in an attempt to force the Trump administration to fund SNAP benefits amid the shutdown.

Some states, such as Louisiana, New Mexico, Vermont and Rhode Island, have taken state-funded approaches to partially or fully cover SNAP benefits temporarily.

How many people will be affected?

About 12% of Americans will be affected by a halt in food stamp payments. A 2025 USDA survey found that SNAP participants use the program for more than half of their monthly food-at-home spending.

Who uses SNAP?

The majority of households participating in SNAP include children, the elderly and people with disabilities. In 2023, 83% of SNAP participants fell into one of those three categories.

Black, Hispanic and Native American households are also more likely to use SNAP. A Washington Post analysis found that 12 in 50 Black households rely on snap, as well as 11 in 50 Native American households and 9 in 50 Hispanic households.

How long has SNAP been around?

Government-funded financial food assistance began in the United States in 1939 with the Food Stamp Program, which was created in the aftermath of the Great Depression.

It lasted only four years initially, but it was permanently revived in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson with the Food Stamp Act.

Participation in the program declined in the late 1990s but shot up during the 2008 recession as 28.2 million people enrolled in the food stamp program.

The name of the program changed to SNAP that same year, and participation steadily increased over the next five years until it reached a record-high 47.6 million people in 2013. In the late 2010s, participation decreased until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOURCES USA TODAY Network reporting and research; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump administration to fund SNAP during shutdown after court order, see who gets benefits

Reporting by Jennifer Borresen and Carlie Procell, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect