Thousands of military families who receive government benefits are facing a food insecurity cliff with uncertainty over funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).<\/p>\n
Two federal judges on Friday ordered the Trump administration to tap into billions of dollars in emergency funds to at least partially cover food stamp benefits for more than 42 million Americans in November, but that will not cover all of the needed payments for the month.<\/p>\n
Trump late Friday signaled he would provide moneys from the emergency fund, but he asked the courts for direction on how to legally do so.<\/p>\n
The uncertainty could plunge thousands of service members \u2014 particularly younger troops who can sometimes struggle to cover the cost of living with their lower paychecks \u2014 into crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re hearing in real time stories from families that are incredibly alarming,\u201d said Kara Pappas, chief advancement officer of the nonprofit Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pappas, a military spouse herself, said her organization is being contacted by families that are already living paycheck to paycheck, particularly junior enlisted families, or those with the Guard or Reserve \u201cwho are often without the same access to base resources and have been the first to miss pay during these disruptions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the Trump administration has managed to cobble together the funds necessary to make sure active-duty and mobilized National Guard and Reserve troops receive their end-of-the month paychecks Friday, it might not cover all household costs for many families thanks to a variety of factors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One major issue is that many military spouses, an estimated 27 percent, are also employed by the federal government and could be facing furlough, meaning families that might be used to having two incomes are down to only one. <\/p>\n
Other families that are mobilized with the Guard or Reserve have reported discrepancies with pay in the last midmonth pay period, according to Eileen Huck, deputy director of government relations for the National Military Family Association, a nonprofit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are people who are mobilized away from their civilian job, potentially not getting paid in their Reserve job and have families at home that they’re worried about, whether they’re going to be able to put food on the table,\u201d Huck told The Hill. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely been a very stressful time.\u201d <\/p>\n
Compounding issues, military families rely on support and services provided by federal civilian employees who may be furloughed. In the case of pay discrepancies for troops, Huck said she would ordinarily advise people to call their installation finance office, \u201cbut if those people are furloughed, there’s no one for families to go to to investigate why there might be an issue with their pay.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear exactly how many service members are enrolled in SNAP \u2014 which provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget \u2014 but 1 in 4 military households are food insecure during normal government operations, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as well as MFAN.<\/p>\n
A 2020 Pentagon report found that between 880 and 4,620 military members received SNAP benefits, but a\u00a0similar report<\/a>\u00a0released five years earlier placed the figure as high as 22,000.<\/p>\n Dried up food assistance will also greatly impact veterans, with more than 1 million found to be food insecure but only two-thirds of that population signed up for benefits like SNAP, according to a 2023 study by Rand Corp.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, many troops and military families that aren\u2019t enrolled in any food assistance programs frequently use military and local food banks to make ends meet. Such resources are quickly becoming overwhelmed the longer the shutdown drags on.<\/p>\n