U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined by Governor of Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Governor of Indiana Mike Braun on June 10, 2025, at USDA in Washington, D.C.

Tom Witham

OKEECHOBEE- Amid the ongoing government shutdown, the Florida Department of Children and Families has announced that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not go out starting on Nov. 1.

“You may receive notices about your eligible benefit amount, but you will not receive any benefits deposited to your EBT card during this time,” read a notice from the Florida DCF. “The Department is monitoring the federal government shutdown closely and will notify you as soon as we can resume issuing benefits.”

SNAP is administered through the Florida Department of Children and Families is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a federal agency whose funding is affected by the federal government shutdown.

“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA said in a statement on their website. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.”

According to data from an American Community Survey from 2017-2021, approximately 19.7% of Okeechobee County households use the SNAP program. Data from that same survey listed Hendry County as having 21.8% of households relying on SNAP, with 12.9 percent in Glades and 10.2% in Palm Beach.

Florida has the fourth largest SNAP enrollment nationwide with 2.94 million relying on the assistance, behind California, Texas, and New York.

Benefits for October have been issued as scheduled. Beneficiaries can check their balances by visiting ebtEDGE.com.