The Impact of SNAP Benefit Suspension and Changes in Massachusetts and the U.S.

The new sign for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), “We Welcome SNAP Benefits”, was unveiled on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, at the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The United States Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as SNAP, was temporarily suspended during the federal government shutdown in November this year. The shutdown lasted 43 days, making it the longest federal government shutdown ever. However, the temporary suspension of SNAP benefits was in effect only for the first week of November, and benefits remained available during the October shutdown.

Less than a week after SNAP funding was paused, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration had to continue funding SNAP benefits during the shutdown—forcing the administration to agree to partial payments to support the program. This was the first time in the history of the SNAP benefits program that partial payments had to be issued—SNAP benefits had never been impacted by government shutdowns prior. 

SNAP benefits are delivered through electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards, which replaced paper food stamps in 1984. EBT cards load government benefits onto them as if they were debit cards. The card is linked to a person or family and offers preset benefits rather than functioning as a bank account.

SNAP benefits help low-income families cover their grocery budgets and afford nutritious food. SNAP benefits are available to lawful residents of the United States, with multiple stipulations: able-bodied adults must be actively working at least 20 hours a week to be eligible for SNAP benefits, unless they are under 18 or over 65, are medically certified as physically or mentally unfit for employment, are responsible for a dependent under 14, or are pregnant. 

SNAP benefits had already been under scrutiny because of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which was passed into law in July, specifically over eligibility and enrollment requirements for people to access and receive the benefits.

The bill restricted access to benefits for specific groups, changed work requirements, altered eligibility for immigrants, and added other guardrails on the program. The bill is also set to reduce SNAP funding by about $186 billion over the next 10 years, the largest cut in the program’s history. The recent temporary suspension of benefits during the government shutdown was just the latest in a series of continuing devastating hits to the program. 

According to data from the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan Think Tank, in May 2025, about 42 million people in around 22 million households across the U.S. received SNAP benefits. The suspension negatively impacted households in every state in the U.S., as Harvard Professor Sara Bleich, who served in the Biden administration as the Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, explains.

“There is strong evidence that SNAP lifts families out of poverty, reduces food insecurity, and lowers health care costs,” says Bleich in an interview about changes to SNAP benefits in November 2025 with the Harvard Kennedy School. 

Data from Massachusetts shows that 1 in 6 residents are enrolled in SNAP—representing over 1 million people across 650,000 households. Among those receiving benefits, over one-third are younger than 18 years old, and a quarter are over 60 years old. Around one-third of the recipients in Massachusetts are disabled, and about 20,000 are veterans.

About two-thirds of SNAP households in Massachusetts live below the poverty line—meaning their annual income is less than $21,150 for a family of two. And around 39% of SNAP recipients in the state are white, 26% identify themselves as being Hispanic or Latino, 17% are Black, 4% are Asian, 2% report more than 1 race, and 38% disclose their racial identification.

In Massachusetts, SNAP shoppers account for around 20% of grocery store, supercenter, and retail store sales, according to a court document filed in August 2025 by the Healey administration. In Massachusetts, SNAP is an economic driver for local businesses, generating almost $3 billion annually for over 5,000 businesses. 

Similar data is true across the U.S.: “Every dollar distributed through SNAP generates about $1.50 to $1.80 in economic activity by supporting jobs in grocery stores and providing income to local farmers,” says Bleich. Withholding SNAP benefits not only harms benefit recipients but also local state economies.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, in collaboration with 20 other state attorneys general, sent a joint letter to the USDA urging the agency to clarify the changes to SNAP benefit restrictions in the wake of the Big Beautiful Bill.

The letter emphasized the importance of clarifying new language in the bill regarding eligibility and requirements for various groups to receive SNAP assistance. Campbell and the other attorneys general argue that the changes to eligibility and requirements are unlawful, confusing, and causing unnecessary complications for people seeking to collect their benefits. 

“Prohibiting people from receiving food assistance—beyond the eligibility limits established by Congress—is illegal and cruel. I am proud to stand with my colleagues in urging USDA to immediately correct their guidance so that all eligible SNAP recipients can access these essential benefits,” said Campbell, referring to the letter. 

Campbell specifically refers to refugees and immigrants who were previously eligible for SNAP benefits but are not explicitly mentioned in the OBBBA, leaving state agencies and the affected individuals themselves unsure of the benefits they are entitled to. The letter and statement from Campbell emphasize the ongoing battle to ensure a fair and just distribution of SNAP benefits in light of the Trump administration’s changes to the vital program after the OBBBA. 

In addition to Attorney General Campbell’s advocacy efforts, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has also spoken out about the impact of the changes and disruptions to SNAP. She facilitated a $4 million payment from Massachusetts emergency food assistance programs to meet increased demand ahead of the shutdown, and was vocal about her frustration over the suspension, saying, “You need to pay all benefits, and you need to pay all benefits for the duration of this federal shutdown,” and “all around, this is a terrible situation, what’s happening. And I just call on the president to end it.”

Although SNAP benefits are reinstated and fully operational again, the changes and disruptions to the program, due to the OBBBA and the federal government shutdown, are creating uncertainty about legislative changes.