From Seacoast restaurant owners to Republican congressional candidates to the Governor’s Office, Granite Staters are trying to help alleviate the impact of the federal government shutdown on families who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen cast their 14th vote to continue the Democrats’ filibuster, blocking a continuing resolution that would restore government funding — and the programs like the SNAP that rely on it.
The current shutdown — supported by all four members of the state’s federal delegation — began on Oct. 1 and will soon break the record for longest on record, set in 2019 at 35 days.
Also on Monday, the Trump administration announced it would use emergency funds to pay partial benefits in November, but said the process is onerous and some recipients won’t get their benefits for weeks. And the $4.6 billion available in emergency funds will only cover about half a month’s worth of benefits.
In New Hampshire, Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) announced mobile food pantries for SNAP recipients impacted by the shutdown will be available starting Wednesday. She also urged Granite Staters to donate to the New Hampshire Food Bank, which has partnered with the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to operate mobile food pantries and food box pickup sites for those in need.
“I am grateful to the New Hampshire Food Bank, the Legislature, and the Executive Council for working with us to assist those impacted by the shutdown. In New Hampshire, we step up to help our neighbors, and I urge Granite Staters who are able to make a donation to the Food Bank to support families in need of our help,” Ayotte said.
One person who’s stepped up is Chef Evan Mallett at the Black Trumpet Restaurant & Bar in Portsmouth. He and two volunteers prepared more than 100 meals using available inventory. Mallett told the Portsmouth Herald he felt compelled to act amid government inaction.
“I’m just like everyone else who sees what’s going on and feels a sense of desperation and a strong desire to do something,” Mallett said. “It’s not always clear to most of us what it is that we can do. I am an exception in that I have this incredible vehicle that is my restaurant, its reputation and the following we have that when it’s time to do something for the community, the groundwork has already been laid.”
Business owner Hollie Noveletsky, who’s seeking the GOP nomination in the 1st Congressional District, announced Monday that a food drive she organized late last week generated 2,494 meals on behalf of the N.H. Food Bank.
“I cannot thank everyone enough for all their support,” Noveletsky said. And she repeated her challenge to Democrats — including Stefany Shaheen and Maura Sullivan — to help out the families who’ve lost benefits due to the shutdown they support.
“The Democrat shutdown remains in place, unfortunately, and many people are feeling the pinch, including members of our military,” Noveletsky said. “The truth is that the Democrats have shut off our military’s pay and have made the lives of many Granite State families more difficult because they want to spend more money on far-left pet projects, and on illegal immigrants receiving health care.”
At least one Democrat appeared to feel the pressure. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, who’s hoping to replace Sen. Shaheen next year, did a press avail at a food pantry in Laconia on Monday afternoon.
National media reports have listed Hassan and Shaheen among the handful of Democrats who might break with their party and end the filibuster. But unlike moderates like Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-N.M.), New Hampshire’s delegation has stuck with the Democratic Party’s leadership.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration continued to hit Democrats over the “chaos” caused by the shutdown, both on SNAP and the shutdown’s impact on the nation’s air travel system.
“There’s a reason every major travel stakeholder — from air traffic controllers to pilots to the nation’s largest airlines — is begging Democrats to stop the insanity by passing Republicans’ clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution,” the White House said in a statement.
“Each week the Democrat shutdown is prolonged, $1-plus billion in travel-related spending is lost, all while Democrats try to ‘leverage’ the suffering in their demented political game.”
“Democrats hold the off-switch; they choose chaos every day they refuse to act,” the statement concluded.
And while not referencing Democrats by name, Ayotte also appealed for funding to be restored.
“Politicians in Washington need to get their act together and end this shutdown so we can fund SNAP and other critical programs.”
