INDIANA — A prolonged federal government shutdown, now stretching into its third week, has created significant uncertainty for nearly 580,000 Indiana residents who rely on federal food assistance programs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has instructed all state agencies, including the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), to hold off on issuing November benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC).
Food security advocates have been sounding the alarm for weeks, warning that if Congress fails to pass a new budget or continuing resolution (CR) by the end of October, Hoosier families face a serious disruption to their benefits.
The potential halt in benefits has sparked deep concern among local advocacy groups.
The FSSA, which administers SNAP in Indiana, had previously stated it didn’t anticipate an immediate impact on recipients, but conceded the situation was “subject to change.” A recent statement confirmed the looming deadline: “If the shutdown were to extend beyond October…Hoosiers receiving SNAP benefits could be affected. The specific impacts remain uncertain until we receive further guidance from the Food and Nutrition Service.”
In an effort to mitigate the crisis, the IDOH has announced that it has identified state funds to keep the WIC program operating. Their statement reads: “State funds have been identified to keep WIC operating as normal for the foreseeable future.” However, the IDOH did not offer a specific timeline for how long those funds would last.
Similarly, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office, Molly Craft, said the state is “in good shape to weather an extended federal shutdown,” but declined to offer specifics on state contingency plans.
