Nearly 42 million people are set to lose food aid due to the second-longest U.S. government shutdown, as Democrats and Republicans in Congress continue to blame each other for a weekslong legislative stalemate.
Neither party was showing signs of changing its position days before funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, is set to lapse from Saturday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision last week not to draw on an emergency fund to pay for part of November's SNAP benefits is splitting senators, as Democrats argue the agency is legally required to spend the roughly $5.5 billion in contingency funds to maintain at least a portion of the benefits.