Operations across many federal agencies have halted as the United States continues its longest federal government shutdown ever. Americans are suffering the effects and families who live paycheck-to-paycheck find themselves in an especially precarious position. The record-length shutdown has thrown the near-term future of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) into uncertainty. Social service providers and community organizations are scrambling to fill the food assistance gap so that a disruption in SNAP doesn’t leave vulnerable households without access to basic nutrition. Food insecurity is often the first domino of hardship experience that can set off a cascade of problems that are even more costly. SNAP has been a consistent and enduring stabilizing force of the U.S. social safety net for more than six decades, assisting those experiencing short-term or long-term hardships. Recent threats to the program have renewed public awareness of SNAP—one of our nation’s most effective, targeted, and efficient safety net programs.
Research shows that if you are an American, you are more likely to receive SNAP at some point in your life than not. Around 1.9 million Pennsylvanians across more than 900,000 households received SNAP in September 2025. The United States Department of Agriculture’s annual SNAP report and eligibility rules show:
- More than half of PA SNAP participants are children or elderly adults (55.4%).
- Two out of every three PA SNAP participants are children, elderly individuals, or a non-elderly adult with a disability (66.3%).
- Most SNAP households live in poverty.
- SNAP eligibility has never been extended to undocumented non-citizens.
Amid uncertainty about SNAP’s status and with Thanksgiving on the horizon, more Americans than ever are looking to other food resources. Although food banks play a vital role in bridging gaps in food access, they cannot match SNAP’s scale and efficiency. 
For every meal a food bank provides for a low-income family, SNAP provides nine. And the benefits of SNAP reach far beyond meeting basic nutritional needs. Recent research from Columbia University adds to a wealth of prior studies showing that SNAP not only reduces child poverty and improves child well-being, but it delivers widespread benefits to society though improved health, education, and children’s eventual employment outcomes as well as savings through reduced health, child protection, and justice related expenditures. The USDA Economic Research Center cites that each $1 issued in SNAP grows PA’s economy by $1.54, circulating money back into local grocery stores, farms, and food distributors. That same $1 spent on SNAP returns $62 over a child’s lifetime. SNAP is a crucial part of our safety-net as well as an investment in America’s future. Decades of research highlight the critical role of nutrition assistance programs. SNAP has provided stability though every past government shutdown. Attempts to disrupt it now undermine effective policy.
As Pennsylvania faces uncertainty around SNAP’s future, we must remember that this program is more than a safety net — it’s an investment in our communities and our children’s futures. The data are clear: SNAP works. It reduces poverty, improves health and educational outcomes, and strengthens our economy. Rather than allowing Pennsylvanians to go hungry due to political dysfunction, we must advocate for SNAP’s protection. The federal mega bill enacted on July 4th 2025 already dealt the largest cut to SNAP in its history— $187 billion through 2034. The 1.9 million Pennsylvanians who depend on SNAP deserve the stability and dignity that consistent access to nutrition provides. Now is the time for policymakers to reject cuts, protect SNAP, and strengthen the program with evidence-based policies that support vulnerable households and build a stronger Pennsylvania for all.