Thousands of Maryland residents will go without food aid next month after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will not continue to fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during the shutdown. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia, including Maryland, are suing the Trump administration over the suspension.
Beginning Nov. 1, about 680,000 Marylanders — including 270,000 children — will not receive SNAP payment, according to a statement from Gov. Wes Moore. Moore stated that Maryland will not be using state funds to fund SNAP in the absence of federal funding.
“During previous shutdowns, the state of Maryland received reimbursement for federal expenses incurred from critical programs,” said Gov. Moore in the statement. “The Trump administration has provided zero assurance that our state will receive reimbursement — even if Maryland were to cover SNAP benefits in the absence of federal funding.”
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, alongside 22 additional attorneys general and three governors, filed a lawsuit against the USDA for unlawfully suspending SNAP benefit funding.
“Despite USDA’s claim of insufficient funds, Congress appropriated billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds to the agency for this very purpose,” according to a press release on the lawsuit. “Furthermore, USDA has funded other programs during this shutdown, but has refused to fund SNAP, leaving millions of Americans without the assistance they need to buy food
An estimated 41.7 million people per month or 12.3% of U.S. residents relied on SNAP benefits in 2024. The Maryland General Assembly Budget and Taxation committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow to discuss next steps for Maryland after the suspension.