The federal government shutdown that started on Oct. 1st is now affecting funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).The government shutdown is because of the lack of cooperation between lawmakers in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President’s administration to come to an agreement over where the country’s money will be spent. As a result, many federal programs, including SNAP, has been at the forefront on cuts.
The potential suspension of SNAP will create food insecurity for millions of families. According to the North Texas Food Bank,460,000 people in North Texas alone rely on SNAP benefits.Nearly half of the total people relying on SNAP are children. The number of families who are unable to have access to food will have to start depending on local food banks to make up for the loss of food stamps. However, popular food banks like The North Texas Food Bank, Minnies Food Pantry, and the Tarrant Area Food Banks have already been met with a storm of people trying to be fed amidst the shutdown.
Plano ISD does not provide an exact number of students on food stamps publicly; students whose families are receiving SNAP benefits, by default, are eligible for free breakfast and lunch. For the 25-26 school year, 31.9% of the student population at Plano Senior High are eligible for free or reduced lunch. That is approximately one-third of the school population who could be dependent on food stamps.
The Wildcat Tales asked 7 students on campus whether their families were receiving SNAP benefits, and 4 out of 7 students replied yes.
“I grew up with 7 siblings, food stamps were the only reason my parents were able to have food at the table.” An anonymous student said.
According to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP has raised 30% of families’ income above the poverty rate. SNAP is the largest nutrition assistance program, and they are responsible for 70% of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition funding in 2024. Between 2015 and 2019, SNAP raised the average of around 604,000 people in Texas out of poverty each year, and 327,000 children were included during that time.
With the government shutdown, blocking funding to SNAP would be detrimental to not only the students here at Plano Senior, but all across the nation.
For example, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and The Borgen Project, kids’ learning ability lowers while they are in the classroom when hungry. It is a proven fact that kids who are malnourished have a hard time focusing, and their attention span is shortened. According to multiple studies, it can also lead to a change in emotional health. A student is more susceptible to mood disorders if they lack the right amount of nutrition that their body needs.
As of November 7th, day 38 of the government shutdown, the Senate vote failed to come to a compromise to pass the short-term funding bill to reopen the government. The Trump administration is demanding for states to “undo” full SNAP payouts to residents in states that still funded their SNAP program.
