Governor aims to keep food assistance flowing to the elderly, disabled, and children as Washington gridlock threatens 800,000+ Louisiana residents

BATON ROUGE, La. (KPEL News) — Governor Jeff Landry signed an emergency declaration Thursday to protect food assistance for more than 792,000 Louisiana residents who could lose SNAP benefits starting November 1 if the federal shutdown continues.

The declaration targets funding for elderly, disabled, and children who depend on SNAP. The Louisiana Department of Health warned recipients this week that no new benefits will load onto EBT cards starting November 1 if the shutdown continues.

“We should not allow our elderly, disabled, or children to go hungry because of the Washington, D.C. Democrats’ failure to reopen the federal government,” Landry said. “Our social security net is supposed to help the most vulnerable, and we will try to accomplish this with today’s action.”

The Louisiana Department of Health has been notifying the state’s 396,157 SNAP households this week about the benefit disruption. Any remaining benefits from October can still be used, but new funds won’t be added to EBT cards starting November 1 unless the federal government reopens or the state finds alternative funding.

Louisiana has one of the highest SNAP participation rates in the country—about 18 percent of the state gets these benefits. A family of four can get up to $975 per month, which works out to about $32 per day for groceries.

READ MORE: 847,100 Louisiana Residents Won’t Get Food Stamps in November Due to Federal Shutdown

Stores across Louisiana have received notices to post informing SNAP recipients about the benefit suspension. The state launched a website at dcshutdown.la.gov for updates on how the shutdown affects Louisiana programs.

The federal shutdown started October 1 when Congress couldn’t pass spending bills for the 2026 fiscal year. Republicans and Democrats disagree on spending levels, foreign aid cuts, and health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture warned states October 10 that it doesn’t have enough money to pay full November SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. The USDA told states to hold November payments.