Dear friend,

For nearly a month, the government has been shut down, and with House Republicans gone, no negotiating has taken place to find a bipartisan path forward and reopen the federal government. 

Federal workers and military families have missed paychecks, and families who depend on federal social safety net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are now facing crippling uncertainty about whether they will be able to afford food next month.  

On November 1, 2025, funding will lapse and the 42 million Americans who rely on this program will not receive benefits. This includes children, seniors, people with disabilities and veterans enrolled in the program.

In Connecticut, nearly 360,000 people will be affected.

Congresswoman Hayes on Laura Coates

Last week, alongside House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig, I led 212 of my Democrat colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins demanding the agency use emergency contingency dollars to keep SNAP funded during the government shutdown. 

Currently the USDA has a SNAP contingency fund with close to $6 billion dollars in reserve. This would cover nearly two-thirds of the $8billion needed to continue uninterrupted funding of SNAP for the month of November. The letter urges USDA to use its statutory transfer authority or any other legal authority to supplement these dollars and fully fund November benefits.

The Trump Administration has the funding available and statutory authority to keep SNAP funded through next month. They are choosing not to use it – imperiling working families already struggling to afford the rising costs of healthcare, groceries, and childcare.  

This decision comes at a time when the Trump Administration is providing a $20 billion bailout to Argentina, permanent tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, and refusing to negotiate health insurance subsidies for millions.

In the absence of my Republican colleagues returning to Washington to negotiate, I am working with federal, state, and local partners to ensure families in Connecticut and across the country are fed.

On Tuesday, I joined Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and state and local leaders to announce that Connecticut, along with a coalition of 21 other Attorneys General and the District of Columbia, has filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture and Secretary Rollins for unlawfully suspending SNAP and refusing to release the nearly $6 billion emergency funding for the program.

We are waiting for the court to render a decision. As the lawsuit proceeds, I am continuing to use every legislative tool available to safeguard these programs.

This is an ongoing issue. Please stay tuned to our newsletters, website, and other communications for the most updated information on SNAP benefits.

Lastly, in case you missed it, on Wednesday I joined Lisa Hagen, Washington reporter for the Connecticut Mirror and Connecticut Public, to discuss what is at stake for families if they lose access to SNAP. We also discussed Affordable Care Act subsidies, pay for military families, and steps Congress can and must take to end the government shutdown. 

Additional information on the interview is available here.

My office remains open and available for constituents. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. As always, please continue to share your thoughts and priorities with me.

Jahana Hayes

Member of Congress