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Food

Shutdown Threatens Food Assistance for 1.5 Million Low-Income Ohioans

Strategic Insights

— 3 min read

As Congress remains divided over healthcare subsidies, a growing number of low-income Ohioans are at risk of losing food assistance benefits. With President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act set to begin phasing in major cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on November 1, millions of Ohioans are bracing for the worst. The situation has become even more dire as millions of federal employees have not received paychecks in the past month, with many military personnel facing the same fate come December 1.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over 1.5 million low-income Ohioans are at risk of losing food assistance benefits due to the impending cuts to SNAP.
  • The cuts, which begin on November 1, are part of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which provides $1 trillion in tax cuts to the richest 1% of Americans over 10 years.
  • The Ohio Association of Food Banks has stated that their resources are already stretched thin, with an average of 1.4 million Ohioans visiting their food pantries each month, and a prolonged shutdown will add strain on their network.
  • Policy Matters Ohio has called on President Trump to extend the shutdown funding reserve for SNAP, citing past practice and guidance from the Government Accountability Office.
  • Ohio Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted have been asked to urge President Trump to extend the reserve funds, but neither senator has publicly commented on the issue.
  • Republican attorneys general, including Ohio's Dave Yost, have called on Senate Democrats to end the crisis by agreeing to a "clean" funding bill that abandons their demand for extended health subsidies.

Statistics:

  • 1.5 million low-income Ohioans are at risk of losing food assistance benefits.
  • SNAP cuts are part of a $1 trillion tax cut package favoring the richest 1% of Americans over 10 years.
  • 514,000 low- and middle-income Ohioans receive health care subsidies through the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire on January 1.
  • 1.4 million Ohioans visit food pantries each month.
  • Millions of federal employees have not received paychecks in the past month, with many military personnel facing the same fate come December 1.
  • 24 million Americans will see their health care costs more than double if enhanced premium tax credits expire.
  • The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is threatened with complete defunding due to the partial government shutdown.

Sources:

  • "SNAP Persons" report by the Food and Nutrition Service, USDA (https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-persons-8.pdf)
  • "Average Monthly Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC) by State" by the Kaiser Family Foundation (https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/state-indicator/average-monthly-advance-premium-tax-credit-aptc/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D)
  • "Shutdown and ACA Health Care Tax Credits" by NPR (https://www.npr.org/2025/10/12/nx-s1-5570849/shutdown-aca-health-care-tax-credits)
  • "ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Would More Than Double on Average Next Year if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire" by the Kaiser Family Foundation (https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/)
  • "One Big Beautiful Bill" by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (https://itep.org/top-1-to-receive-1-trillion-tax-cut-from-trump-megabill-over-next-decade/#:~:text=The%20JCT%20table%20reports%20that,1%20percent%20during%20these%20years.)
  • "Medicaid Cuts One Big Beautiful Bill Act Leaves 3.10 Million Young Adults Vulnerable" by the Urban Institute (https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/medicaid-cuts-one-big-beautiful-bill-act-leave-3-10-young-adults-vulnerable-losing)
  • "Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Cuts SNAP for Millions of Families" by CNBC (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/10/trumps-big-beautiful-bill-cuts-snap-for-millions-of-families.html)
  • "House Reconciliation Bill Proposes Deepest SNAP Cut in History, Would Take 1 Million Off Food Assistance" by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/house-reconciliation-bill-proposes-deepest-snap-cut-in-history-would-take)
  • "Who Is Missing Paychecks in the 2025 Shutdown, When, and Where?" by the Bipartisan Policy Center (https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/who-is-missing-paychecks-in-the-2025-shutdown-when-and-where/#:~:text=At%20least%20670%2C000%20federal%20employees,$21%20billion%20in%20missing%20wages.)

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