Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services said this week that if federal funding is not restored, the agency will not be able to issue food benefits after Oct. 31.
Agency spokesperson Norah West confirmed in an email on Friday that this means all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits, known as Basic Food in Washington, will stop at that time.
Washington also provides state-funded benefits through its Food Assistance Program, which is open to legal immigrants who are not eligible for the SNAP program solely because of their immigration status.
Food Assistance Program benefits would also lapse, West said, noting that the program must mirror SNAP.
In September, more than 540,000 households in Washington, representing nearly 930,000 people, received around $173 million in food benefits, according to the Department of Social and Health Services.
The agency said in a recent presentation to lawmakers that about 15% of the state’s population receives the benefits each year and that about 35% are children.
The department is providing status updates about the benefits on its website. “This situation remains fluid,” West said.
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