The last two weeks have brought chaos for food assistance programs and the people who rely on them. Advocates say it will have a lasting impact — even if the shutdown ends soon.

Funding for SNAP has been allocated, paused, reinstated, and canceled again, multiple times. It strained local food pantries and the state agencies that scrambled to lessen the impact on hungry residents.

“If this feels exhausting to follow, that is the point,” DeLauro said. “It is. The chaos is by design, and it's calculated as an effort to undermine the most effective anti-hunger program in this nation's history.”

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) announced on Friday that he would use money from the rainy day fund to reload residents' SNAP benefits. Shortly after, the Trump administration said it would relea

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