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US shutdown halts food aid, leaving millions in the lurch

Ines Pohl in Minnetonka, Minn. and Washington, D.C.
November 6, 2025

In the US, low-income families are bearing the brunt after Donald Trump suspended the SNAP food aid program in early November. With over 40 million Americans depending on it, DW hears from those now struggling to get by.

https://p.dw.com/p/53B62

SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides essential food benefits for more than 40 million Americans. In Minnesota, about 7% of residents relied on it, receiving roughly $6.30 a day before the suspension.

Meanwhile, with SNAP halted, food banks are seeing rising demand. Organizers say that, unlike in past shutdowns, benefits are now uncertain and only partially available.

Ines Pohl
Ines Pohl Bureau head of DW's Washington Studio@inespohl