U.S. Sen. Angus King is co-sponsoring new legislation that would require the Trump administration to release funding for federal food assistance programs, ensuring that benefits continue uninterrupted during the ongoing government shutdown.
The Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately release billions of dollars in available funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
The proposed legislation would also require the federal government to reimburse states if they choose to cover SNAP benefits during a shutdown, according to King’s office. Introduced by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), the bill would be retroactive to the beginning of the shutdown.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will not fund SNAP benefits in November. The program currently supports 42 million Americans, including nearly 170,000 residents of Maine. Funding for SNAP is set to expire this Saturday.
King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, are both co-sponsoring a similar bill called the Keep SNAP Funded Act, introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), which would ensure benefit payments continue during the shutdown.
“Maine families, children, veterans, and seniors shouldn’t have to worry about losing access to food assistance because of political tactics,” King said in a written statement. “No one in this country should ever have to choose between paying the electric bill and putting dinner on the table. The Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act is about decency and plain common sense, and it keeps faith with the Maine people who count on us most. In all our history, a shutdown has never meant Americans go hungry, and it shouldn’t start now.”
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated this week that it would cost her department $9.2 billion to fund November SNAP benefits, administrative costs, and nutrition block grants, adding that the USDA does not have that money readily available.
However, King emphasized that, by law, the Trump administration is required to use billions in available funding to keep SNAP benefits flowing in November. He also noted that USDA guidance confirms the agency has the authority to utilize available funding during a shutdown.
Collins announced last week that she is co-sponsoring Hawley’s Keep SNAP Funded Act, which would be retroactive to the beginning of the shutdown.
“No American should face hunger because of partisan brinkmanship in Washington. SNAP is a lifeline for more than 170,000 Mainers, including 50,000 children and 73,000 older adults, who rely on this critical nutrition assistance,” Collins said in a written statement. “As Congress works to resolve the needless and reckless government shutdown, passing this legislation to ensure that SNAP payments continue without interruption is a top priority.”
State officials in Maine have also been pressing the Trump administration to distribute SNAP benefits for November. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey joined a multistate lawsuit on Tuesday, seeking to compel the Trump administration to use $5 billion in contingency funding approved by Congress to continue providing SNAP benefits.
https://www.centralmaine.com/2025/10/29/angus-king-co-sponsoring-bill-to-keep-snap-wic-going-during-shutdown/