WASHINGTON – As the government shutdown lingers into its fourth week, hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans will see their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Benefits suspended on Saturday, Nov.1.
Nearly 17% of Oklahoma’s population relies on SNAP benefits to keep their household fed. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 686,800 Oklahomans, every one in six Oklahoma residents, receive SNAP benefits. Food banks in Oklahoma are working tirelessly to help these families receive the help they need.
“We want people to have as much access to food as they can get. When you’re reducing these programs, it will cause a burden on Oklahomans” said Austin Prickett, director of Marketing and Communications for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
This suspension of benefits comes into effect exactly one month after President Trump’s new changes to SNAP were enacted. In the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, SNAP provisions are seeing a wave of changes.
As reported by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, these new provisions would cause large changes to the time-limited work restrictions. The upper age exception would rise from 55 to 65, the exception based on responsibility to care for a dependent child from the child’s age of 18 to 14, and it removes exceptions from homeless individuals, veterans, and those who aged out of foster care.
All of these changes and suspensions will be directly reflected back onto Oklahomans. Oklahoma has a higher rate of food insecurity than the national average. Oklahoma’s rate is over 15%, while the national average is 13.5%, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
“Folks have more of a burden to go and get food assistance,” said Prickett. “It’s hard to do, especially if you have a job. It’s almost impossible to get somewhere when the programs are open and to get people to help you.”
Members of Oklahoma’s state legislature are working to provide support for vulnerable Oklahomans.
“Oklahoma families shouldn’t have to pay the price for partisan inaction,” said Okla. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert in a press release. “The Oklahoma House remains focused on protecting our citizens and ensuring families, seniors and children have access to the support they need, regardless of what happens in D.C.”
As the holiday season quickly approaches, families are suffering from the acts of the federal government. With SNAP benefits potentially being suspended during Thanksgiving, the pressure keeps building for senators in Washington.
“Nobody wins in a government shutdown, and in fact, many are losing,” said Okla. Senator Markwayne Mullin in a press release. “Tens of thousands of young parents are worried about caring for their children if food stamps (SNAP) run out, active-duty military families are turning to food banks, and essential federal employees are having to choose between putting gas in their car, paying the electric bill, or buying groceries.”
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt wrote a letter to federal agencies asking for plans to help support struggling Oklahomans during this time. He expressed how the only way to help Oklahomans is with federal support.
“For example, the SNAP program has served 922,646 Oklahomans this past year, which is fully funded by the federal government, and administered by the state,” Gov. Stitt wrote in his letter to federal agencies.
“This population costs approximately $130 million to $142 million in tax dollars every month, an amount that we simply cannot backfill with state appropriations alone. Notably, two out of five current recipients, or 37%, are working-age adults who do not fall into our most vulnerable categories of children, seniors, disabled, veterans, or pregnant women,” he wrote.
Oklahoma does not have the revenue to protect its people without support from the federal government. Without extra support, the burden is heavy for Oklahomans.
“This example underscores the vital need for federal partnership, but also the necessity for our state to focus federal programs on their core purposes of serving those with the greatest need and to ensure our systems are resilient in the face of federal interruptions,” Gov. Stitt continued.
As the shutdown continues, with no clear end in sight, senators are calling on their coworkers of opposite political parties, trying to get the shutdown resolved for the people most affected.
“The Trump Administration has tried to shield the American people from the harmful effects of this Democratic shutdown,” said Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford. “But as the shutdown drags on, the reality is the only way to guarantee paychecks for federal employees, keep America’s skies safe for travelers, and ensure critical safety-net programs remain available for Oklahomans in need is to reopen the government.
Under President Biden, this same type of clean continuing resolution passed on a bipartisan basis thirteen times. Now, under President Trump, it’s exceptionally disappointing to see Democrats choosing politics over paychecks and the most vulnerable,” he wrote
As SNAP benefits begin to suspend, check local and community organizations for food assistance. Programs like food banks and pantries, soup kitchens, faith-based organizations and more help provide assistance to those in need. Or, check Hunger Free Oklahoma for lists of resources available.
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to gaylordnews.net.
