NCJW to USDA: Release Emergency Funds and Restore Nutrition Assistance for Millions of Families

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, October 31, 2025
PRESS CONTACT: press@ncjw.org

WASHINGTON, DC — National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) today denounced the Trump administration’s decision to suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits beginning tomorrow, November 1st, a move that will leave more than 42 million Americans — including millions of children, seniors, and people with disabilities — without critical food assistance due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Despite the availability of multi-year contingency funds specifically designated to ensure continuity of SNAP benefits during funding lapses, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it will not release funds for November benefits. This unprecedented disruption to the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, which dates back to the Great Depression, represents a catastrophic failure to protect America’s most vulnerable families.

“Our Jewish values command us to care for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger among us — those who are the most vulnerable in our society,” said Jody Rabhan, executive vice president at NCJW. “This decision to withhold SNAP benefits from 42 million Americans, including one in five children, is not just a policy failure — it’s a moral crisis.”

“When billions of dollars in contingency funds exist for precisely this situation, choosing not to use them is a deliberate choice by this administration to let families go hungry,” Rabhan continued. “NCJW will not stand silent while mothers choose between feeding their children and paying rent, while seniors ration their medications to buy groceries, and while people with disabilities face impossible decisions about their basic survival. USDA must follow its own shutdown plan and release these contingency funds so that families across the country can continue to put food on their tables.”

For millennia, Jewish scholars have taught that fighting hunger is among the holiest work that one can do in our communities. Now, around the country, NCJW sections follow in that tradition, mobilizing in preparation for when SNAP funds run out. From collecting canned food to raising money for local food banks, NCJW’s nationwide network of 250,000 advocates are organizing to ensure that no members of their communities go hungry because of USDA’s decision not to employ contingency funds to extend SNAP benefits to millions of our neighbors, fulfilling our sacred Jewish obligation to do tzedakah — to do that which is just and righteous.

Fast facts on SNAP and the human toll from this government shutdown:

• 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits, receiving an average of $187 per month in food assistance
• 73% of SNAP recipients had a gross monthly income at or below the poverty level in fiscal year 2023
• 83% of SNAP benefits go to households with children, elderly individuals, or people with disabilities
• 16 million children depend on SNAP to help their families put food on the table
• At least 25 states have already informed recipients they will not receive November benefits

Health experts warn that even short gaps in nutrition access can have dire consequences, particularly for people managing diet-sensitive chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. Food insecurity doesn’t just mean empty stomachs — it means worsening health outcomes, missed medications, and in the most tragic cases, preventable deaths.

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National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 133-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization working for equity and justice for women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through the efforts of our 250,000 grassroots advocates and 48 local sections, NCJW combines education, direct service, and advocacy to effect lasting social change at the local, state, and national levels. We approach our work through the intersections of gender, economic, and racial justice to center those most impacted in a uniquely Jewish way. Learn more at NCJW.org and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.