The government shutdown has just ended on Wednesday, Nov. 12, after lasting for 43 days, being the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. On Nov. 6, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ordered President Donald Trump to pay for the United States’ SNAP benefits.

When asked during her interview about what she thought about the circumstances of SNAP during the shutdown, Kennard-Dale High School U.S. Studies teacher Marcella Barr remarked, “I wasn’t thinking the shutdown would end soon, but I thought they would find a way to reinstate the benefits.”

The government initially shut down because the Democratic Party wouldn’t sign the spending bill without the healthcare policies they were lobbying for also being put in place. The Democrats have stopped protesting and have agreed to reopen the Government with Trump’s new bill because of the damage the government shutdown was causing. Particularly, the 42 million SNAP recipients in the U.S. and 3 million furloughed federal workers have lost funding.

When asked about why she thought the government took so long to come to an agreement, Barr commented, “I think it took so long because both parties saw the shutdown as a chance to show their constituents how committed they were to their interests.  Sadly, sometimes in politics, compromising is seen as ‘giving in,’ and neither side wanted to appear that way.”

According to the Official website of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro has led a private fundraising campaign, announcing that a total of $2 million has been raised for private donors through the new SNAP Emergency Release Fund. 

From November 1 to November 12, over 2 million people in PA didn’t receive their SNAP benefits.

The new bill passed by Trump to open the government only lasts until Jan. 30., long enough for government officials to come up with a more long-term funding plan. 

The new bill also sets aside money for SNAP, benefits for women, children, infants, or otherwise known as WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), and the Department of Veterans Affairs and Congress. 

Those who worked on the new bill put new rules and restrictions in place to ensure people’s eligibility and that the benefits are going to people who truly need them. 

During her interview, Andrea Walton, another U.S. Studies teacher at Kennard-Dale High School, was asked, “What did you think about the circumstances of families on SNAP during the shutdown?” Walton remarked, “I think many people who relied on these benefits were scared and unsure how they would be able to provide for their families without the support they needed.”  

She described how families felt during the lack of SNAP benefits during the shutdown, which is likely to be the same struggle as those who had SNAP but are going to be denied, despite still being in need of the benefits. 

Because of these new restrictions, the PA State Government has estimated that 64% of SNAP recipients may lose their benefits. Some will still lose their benefits even though they are still eligible because of paperwork barriers. 

Starting Nov. 1., the new SNAP rules apply to you if:

• You are between 18 and 64-years-old
• You DO NOT have a dependent child under the age of 14
• You are considered mentally and physically able to work

You are not impacted by these new changes if you are (and the County Assistance Office is aware that you are): 

• Working and making at least $217.50 per week
• Under 18 or over 65-years-old
• You DO have a dependent child under the age of 14 
• Getting disability like SSI or SSD
• Pregnant
• In school or a training program at least part-time
• Getting unemployment benefits or returning to work within 60 days
• Taking care of a sick or disabled family member
• Unable to work because of domestic violence
• In drug or mental health treatment

In this new day and age, there are scams out there trying to scam people out of their SNAP benefits. According to the official website of the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, a way that SNAP scammers try to steal SNAP benefits is by calling a SNAP user and asking for their PIN and their EBT card numbers, under the guise that they are trying to unblock the EBT card, verify their eligibility, or help them obtain more benefits and assistance. They may additionally ask for your Social Security number and banking information. 

These are all scamming tactics used to take a user’s SNAP benefits or the user’s personal information. No government agency or SNAP representative will contact a SNAP beneficiary asking for private information in a phone call or text. 

It is very important to be aware of scammer tactics when being a SNAP beneficiary to keep your benefits without any incident or theft that could cause you harm.