WASHINGTON — As the government shutdown barrels along, the impact on everyday Americans is growing.
It's creating additional stress on social service programs, which are now bracing for an increased need, including from people who don’t normally rely on their support.
Food banks from coast to coast were already seeing an uptick in visits from federal workers who are furloughed or working without pay. Now, they are preparing for an additional influx from Americans who rely on federal food benefit programs, which are set to run out of funding at the end of the month, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, and WIC, the food program for women, infants and children.
“When food banks serve families, it's usually a 1-to-9 ratio, so one meal provided by food banks versus nine provided by SNAP dollars. If those SNAP dollars get cut in half, that would mean that a local food bank quadruples their output just to meet that need,” Craig Rice, CEO of Manna Food Center in Maryland, told NBC Washington.
Manna Food Center serves a significant federal workforce population, and the ongoing shutdown has forced it to make additional preparations to meet the increased need.
“We're going to be adding emergency bags so federal government employees will be able to come and ask for emergency assistance, and we’ll be able to assist them,” Rice said.
Federal workers will be reimbursed at the end of the government shutdown, under a law passed by Congress in 2019. But Congress hasn't made any progress toward reopening the government, leaving federal employees with no certainty about when they'll get paid again.
In Nevada, the Clark County Aviation Department is reaching out to the public, asking for help for its employees who are working without pay and will soon be in need of basic essentials to get through the day.
“We’re gonna be opening it up for our federal employees to come get the essentials that they need. Nonperishable food items, we’re accepting gift cards for retail, for gas, for grocery stores, baby supplies, all the things that they need to help get them by during this government shutdown,” Luke Nimmo, the department's public information officer, told NBC affiliate KSNV of Las Vegas.
And it’s not just food and hygiene items; counties across America will also be facing the possibility of a child care crisis. Programs like Head Start could soon be out of funding. In Kansas City, 17 Head Start-supported child care sites are in danger of closing at the end of the month, forcing families to quickly find alternatives, which may not be available.
“I think families need to be prepared and not rely on things that can just be pulled out from under them,” Demetria Spencer, owner of Delightful Learning Center child care in Kansas City, told NBC affiliate KSHB of Kansas City.
In some areas, state and local governments are finding ways to close the federal funding gap to continue to provide services that millions of Americans rely on. Authorities in Johnson County, Kansas, for example, have tapped some funds to help with administrative costs for WIC if federal funding runs out. But even that would only be a temporary reprieve.
“We’re gonna continue to operate and provide services as long as we’re able to,” Charlie Hunt, director of the Johnson County Health and Environment Department, told KSHB.
CORRECTION (Oct. 23, 2025, 12:12 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated where Charlie Hunt is the health director. He is director of the Health and Environment Department in Johnson County, Kansas, not Johnson County, Missouri.
