Rep. Summer Lee Joins Rep. Hayes, Colleagues in Urging USDA to Take Immediate Action to Fund SNAP During Government Shutdown 

PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 24, 2025 — Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) joined Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture, Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-05), House Committee on Agriculture Ranking Member Rep. Angie Craig, and 211 House Democrats in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, to urge the agency to use contingency reserve dollars to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown. With no resolution to a bipartisan path forward to reopen the government, SNAP funding is set to lapse on November 1st, putting 42 million children and families at risk of experiencing hunger. 

There is enough in the SNAP contingency reserve to cover nearly two-thirds of the amount needed for a full month of benefits. As such, the Members also advocate for the agency to use statutory transfer authority or any other legal means to supplement shortfalls the contingency reserve cannot cover. 

“Now more than ever, millions of families across the country depend upon the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to make ends meet. For far too many veterans, seniors, and children, SNAP benefits are the difference between having food or not,” wrote the Members. “Now, due to the government shutdown, they are facing crippling levels of uncertainty about whether they will be able to afford food next month. A potential lapse in benefits would be felt by Americans of all ages and affect every corner and congressional district in the country.” 

“We urge USDA to use these funds for November SNAP benefits and issue clear guidance to states on how to navigate benefit issuance. Additionally, while the contingency reserve will not cover November benefits in full, we urge USDA to use its statutory transfer authority or any other legal authority at its disposal to supplement these dollars and fully fund November benefits. There are clear steps the administration can and must take immediately to ensure that millions of families across the country can put food on their table in November. Choosing not to ensure SNAP benefits reach those in need this November would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities to the American people.”  

Rep. Lee, a strong advocate for working families, food security, and economic justice, emphasized the urgency of protecting programs like SNAP that are vital to her constituents here in Western Pennsylvania. 

“Every day, families in Western Pennsylvania are doing everything right — working hard, paying their bills — and still struggling to put food on the table,” said Rep. Lee. “It’s cruel that in the wealthiest country in the world, Republicans are playing partisan games while millions of families, seniors, veterans, and children wonder how they’ll afford groceries next month. Programs like SNAP are lifelines, not luxuries, and they’re always the first on the chopping block for those who’ve never had to worry about going hungry. While we’re fighting to make sure folks can afford food, healthcare, and housing, Republicans are fine with people losing all three. USDA must act now to make sure every family can keep food on the table.”  

The letter is also signed by Reps. Alma Adams (NC-12), Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Gabe Amo  (RI-01), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Jake  Auchincloss (MA-04), Becca Balint (VT), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Ami Bera (CA-06), Donald Beyer (VA-08), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Julia Brownley (CA-26),  Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), André Carson (IN-07), Troy Carter (LA-02), Greg Casar (TX-35), Ed Case (HI-01), Sean Casten (IL-06),  Kathy Castor (FL-14), Joaquin Castro (T-20), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gilbert Cisneros (CA-31), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), James E Clyburn (SC-06), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Herbert Conaway (NJ-03), J. Louis Correa (CA-46), Jim Costa (CA-21), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Angie Craig (MN-02), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Jason Crow (CO-06), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Danny Davis (IL-07), Donald Davis (NC-01), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Christopher Deluzio (PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Shomari Figures (AL-02), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Bill Foster (IL-11), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Lois Frankel  (FL-22), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jesús García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Laura Gillen (NY-04), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Adam Gray (CA-13), Al Green (TX-09), Josh Harder (CA-09), Pablo Hernández (PR- At Large), James Himes (CT-04), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Glenn Ivey MD-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Henry Johnson (GA-04), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), William; Keating (MA-09), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi(IL-08), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Rick Larsen (WA-02), John Larson (CT-01), George Latimer (NY-16), Susie Lee (NV-03), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Mike Levin (CA-49), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Ted Lieu(CA-36),  Zoe Lofgren  (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08),  Seth Magaziner (RI-02), John Mannion (NY-22), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Sarah McBride (DE-At Large), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), James McGovern (MA-02), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), Grace Meng (NY-06), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07),  Dave Min (CA-47), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Frank Mrvan (IN-01), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Richard Neal (MA-01), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Donald Norcross (NJ-01),Eleanor Norton (DC-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Scott Peters (CA-50), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Stacey Plaskett (VI-AL), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Nellie Pou (NJ-09), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Josh Riley (NY-19), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Patrick Ryan (NY-18), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Janice Schakowsky (IL-09), Bradley Schneider (IL-10), Hillary Scholten (MI-03), Kim Schrier (WA-08), David Scott (GA-13), Bobby Scott (VA-03), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Adam Smith (WA-09), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Darren Soto (FL-09), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Thomas Suozzi (NY-03), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Norma Torres (CA-35), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Derek Tran (CA-45), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Eugene Vindman (VA-07), James Walkinshaw (VA-11), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), George Whitesides (CA-27), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24). 

Full text of the letter is available here. 

Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, she has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.4 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 3,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.