KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City-area nonprofit food banks braced for impact Tuesday as Congress worked to keep the lights on.
"If a funding decision is not made by mid-October, we do risk those November payments that people would expect to see in their SNAP and WIC benefits being impacted," said Elizabeth Keever, chief resource officer for Harvesters.
RELATED | Fill the Fridge
Harvesters serves 27 counties across the Kansas City metropolitan area. Many of its patrons are a paycheck away from going hungry.
"The longer it goes on, the more we know as an organization we need to step up and address the increased need," Keever said.
A lot is up in the air in what will happen and who will be impacted during a looming government shutdown.
Congress must enact an interim or a full-year budget by Oct. 1, the beginning of the fiscal year.
According to a report from the Food Research and Action Center, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients should not fear losing October payments in the event of a government shutdown.
A senior Republican staffer in Missouri's U.S. House delegation provided KSHB 41 clarity on the state of funding federal programs during a shutdown. Programs like SNAP will be funded through a shutdown, something the staffer attributed to the flexibility of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed earlier this year.
The reconciliation package extended new farm commodity safety net programs through 2031, maintained crop insurance and reformed the SNAP program.
In a CNBC report over the weekend, President Trump threatened to fire federal workers if a shutdown isn't averted.
In years past, local USDA Farm Service Agency offices have remained closed during a shutdown, and in some cases, employees have been furloughed. An agriculture source near KSHB 41 with connections to rural Kansas USDA Farm Service Agency employees has not been notified what to expect if there is a shutdown.
The source explained that in past shutdown years, those employees had received shutdown plans and notifications weeks prior.
Missouri's 4th District U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R-Lake Winnebago) told KSHB 41 in an interview on Monday that employees deemed essential will be back to work on Wednesday amid a shutdown.
"It's quite apparent that Chuck Schumer and the Senate has every intention of shutting our government down, putting pressure on the 30,000 or so federal employees in the Kansas City area, who come after October 14th will not be getting a paycheck," Alford said.
Amid uncertainty in the nation's capital, folks like Michell Jones are working tirelessly to stock shelves in the Operation Breakthrough food pantry.
"It's going to be really hard. It's going to be a struggle," she said.
Jones, who formerly used services at Operation Breakthrough, was a recipient of programs like food stamps. Now, she works in the donations department for Operation Breakthrough.
"When I was on it, I looked forward to it every month," she said. "You’re gonna see kids out here; they’re going to be hungry, they’re gonna be starving, they’re going to try to steal out of grocery stores. It’s going to be really hard. I just pray that this do not happen."
Operation Breakthrough CEO Mary Esselman said the organization will stay open to be there for families who could lose their benefits during a shutdown.
"This pantry will become an anchor for families, and we’ve already seen a huge increase just over the past year and a half,” she said. “A shutdown and delays are going to be much more pronounced this year in terms of how it impacts directly our families and children.”
Congress must come up with a budget by midnight.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
