Farm Aid Statement on Federal Decision to Withhold SNAP Benefits

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Farm Aid issued the following statement in response to the decision by the Trump administration to withhold SNAP benefits until the federal government is reopened.

The decision by the Trump administration to freeze Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding until the government reopens is without precedent. Never has a president withheld essential food assistance during a shutdown, cutting off critical support that ensures children and families don't go hungry. When that lifeline is cut, the harm doesn't stop at the kitchen door — it ripples through farms, markets and main streets across rural America. 

SNAP is not only a nutrition program; it's the heartbeat of local economies. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, every dollar in SNAP spending generates about $1.50 in total economic activity. In small towns and farming counties, SNAP benefits circulate through the system, keeping grocery lights on, shelves stocked and family farms afloat. Picture a rural county of 50,000 people where 15% of households rely on SNAP and each receive roughly $330 a month. If the program shuts down for two months, that county will lose nearly $5 million in nutrition for families and roughly $7.5 million in total economic activity. That's fewer customers at local groceries, empty stalls at farmers markets and another layer of uncertainty for farmers already weathering low prices, rising costs and the loss of USDA programs that once supported local food systems.

The freeze will hit hardest in places already struggling with food access, where one neighborhood grocery or farmers market may be the only opportunity for fresh food for miles. SNAP dollars are often what keep those stores open and those markets alive. When that flow stops, so does the access — not just to food, but to dignity and opportunity. Family farmers, too, will feel the pinch immediately. SNAP spending translates directly into farm income through farmers markets that accept SNAP and food hubs and local grocers that buy regional produce. The loss of SNAP income adds to the challenges farmers have already been facing from the fallout of the USDA's cuts to programs that promote local and regional food systems. 

SNAP is not charity; it is infrastructure. When that bridge is pulled up, the entire system weakens. Farm Aid calls on Congress and the administration to immediately restore SNAP funding and guarantee uninterrupted benefits in any future shutdown. We also urge state governments — many of which are already stepping up — to fill the gap with emergency support for food banks, farmers markets and families who can't wait for politics to play out.

America's food system is a chain — from seed to table — and when one link breaks, every link feels the strain.

Farm Aid's mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price host an annual festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid's work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. Since 1985, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $85 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

SOURCE Farm Aid