Louisiana employs a contingency plan to protect SNAP funding 

In September 2025, 792,769 Louisiana residents received benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Through the previous fiscal year, from July 2024 to June 2025, SNAP spent more than $1.868 billion on Louisiana residents. 

However, on Oct. 1, SNAP and other programs became at risk as the federal government entered a partial shutdown following Congress’s failure to pass a spending bill. SNAP ceased regular operations on Nov. 1. 

The national website says that “SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being.” 

Louisiana was among a group of states that created contingency plans in the event that the shutdown continued. Louisiana is using $150 million in state emergency funds to partially cover benefits for those most at risk, which include children, the elderly and the disabled. 

In total, SNAP serves about 42 million Americans. 

About 361,000 of Louisiana’s SNAP beneficiaries are under the age of 18 as of June 2024. A 2024 report from the Government Accountability Office shows that 23% of college students in 2020 experienced some form of food insecurity. Louisiana’s contingency plan doesn’t include 53,000 “able-bodied adults who aren’t caring for children or don’t share a household with elderly or disabled members,” according to the Associated Press. 

Although the Trump administration intended to comply with a lower court demand for SNAP to be fully funded, the Supreme Court overturned that ruling. A legal feud is underway while the administration organizes funds. 

The government shutdown is now the longest in history, breaking the previous 34-day record that began in December 2018. 

Both Democrats and Republicans presented separate legislation to fund specific services like SNAP, but the partisan divide keeps Republicans from gaining the 60 required votes in the Senate to pass the bill to the president’s desk. There are only 53 Republicans, so at least seven Democratic votes are required. Democrats are persisting due to disagreements about funding healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. 

The Republican Party has been vocal about who they believe is to blame for the funding issues. On Oct. 27, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said that, “The best way for SNAP benefits to be paid on time is for the Democrats to end their shutdown.” 

Democrat and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Never before in American history — not once under a Democratic president or a Republican president — has SNAP funding lapsed during a shutdown.” The Department of Agriculture used contingency funds through the 2018 shutdown. However, the department reversed that decision this year, using a new interpretation of the law. 

However, with SNAP benefits in hot water, there are other options for Louisiana residents, and ways to donate. Campus Cupboard, an on-campus facility at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in coordination with Second Harvest Food Bank, “is a resource for undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff who require short-term assistance meeting their food needs.” 

In an interview with The Vermilion, Kimberly Billeaudeau, director of career services, said, “Here, everything’s free for students. There’s an allocated amount of how many items they can take… the qualifications go through the Second Harvest system, and that tells us how many items the student qualifies for.” 

She continued, “From fall 2024 through summer 2025 we had 755 individual students utilize the cupboard… So far this semester, we’re at 501 students.” 

Patricia Cottonham, vice president for student affairs, clarified that Campus Cupboard does not operate through SNAP, so the University’s food service policies will likely remain unchanged. 

However, Billeaudeau noted that, “If we see that the shelves are getting bare…we’re going to do more outreach to our campus and community to try to get more donations.” 

Billeaudeau also called attention to Campus Cupboard’s “Thanks For Giving Food Drive,” which began Nov. 1 and will continue through the month. All students received an email about the event on Nov. 4. Students can also volunteer at any time of the year by emailing career@louisiana.edu. 

Cottonham spotlighted that the “Thanks For Giving Food Drive” is dedicated to Dean Margarita Perez, who co-established Campus Cupboard. She continued, “We’re hoping that a lot of student organizations and faculty and staff will respond by being generous with food items this year in her name.” 

Cottonham added that she would “like to thank the students. I’d like to thank the faculty… I think that our community understands what a wonderful campus we have, you know, and that students are doing the right thing by being here.” 

Other independent establishments in the area have opened doors to those who may be struggling. 

Chicken Salad Chick, a chain restaurant with a location on Saloom Farm Rd., posted a statement on Facebook on Oct. 29 that, “We do not intend to take sides or make this offer political – we simply believe that no child should go hungry. Starting today, any child who visits this location will receive a free Kid’s Meal until SNAP benefits are restored in Louisiana.”