Low-income Granite Staters who rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families may be forced to turn to food banks due to the ongoing federal government shutdown supported by New Hampshire’s all-Democratic congressional delegation.
The state’s four Democratic members of Congress back the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, when congressional Democrats refused to allow a continuing resolution (CR) to reach the Senate floor for a vote. While a majority of senators — including at least three Democrats — support the measure, Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen have joined a Democratic filibuster to block a vote.
On Wednesday, the two New Hampshire senators cast their 12th vote to block the CR and keep the government closed.
For weeks, Gov. Kelly Ayotte and her administration have warned that the shutdown is putting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at risk. More than 42,000 New Hampshire households are currently enrolled in the program, which is administered by the state but largely funded by the federal government.
On Thursday, the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) went on high alert. “If federal funding lapses into November, SNAP benefits could be delayed or interrupted,” the agency said in a statement.
DHHS Commissioner Lori Weaver said her department is “monitoring the situation closely” and working with community partners across the state in an effort to limit disruptions for people who are experiencing food insecurity.” But she noted that the state’s ability to cover millions of dollars in benefits is limited.
As a result, the state has reached out to charities to help fill the gap.
“To assist the more than 75,000 Granite Staters who receive SNAP benefits, the state plans to partner with the New Hampshire Food Bank to increase SNAP recipients’ access to food through the Food Bank’s mobile food pantry program and traditional food pantries located across the state,” DHHS announced.
“Upon approval by the Fiscal Committee and Executive Council, the Food Bank will provide mobile food pantries specifically for SNAP participants in locations identified by the state. The Food Bank will also provide more food options to SNAP participants at traditional food pantries.”
Ayotte thanked the Food Bank “for joining us in this effort to ensure vulnerable Granite Staters get the food they need in the event this shutdown continues,” before pointing the finger at Democrats in Congress.
“Now, politicians in Washington must get their act together and reopen the federal government so critical programs like SNAP and WIC can continue without disruption,” Ayotte said.
According to state officials, New Hampshire has secured additional funding to continue the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) until at least Nov. 7, covering roughly 13,000 participants.
Partnering with private charities may provide some short-term relief, but it’s hardly a comprehensive solution. And, some elected officials say, it’s an embarrassing one — forced upon them by what one called the “Shaheen Shutdown.”
“The leadership of DHHS is working hard to be innovative and to reach out to community partners to mitigate the damage being done by the failure to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR),” said state Rep. Jess Edwards (R-Auburn). “The proposed CR has been defeated 12 times, thanks in part to the lack of support from New Hampshire’s senators.”
Edwards, who chairs the House committee overseeing DHHS spending, called the federal shutdown “a major distraction to state employees who must work around the lack of promised support by the federal government.”
Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who hopes to replace the retiring Shaheen in 2026, voted against the CR when it passed the House and supports the filibuster to keep the government closed.
The two Republicans vying to be their party’s Senate nominee both oppose the shutdown and say they would vote to end it.
“Democrats should pass the clean CR to buy time to work on appropriations, and Congress should remain in session around the clock and negotiate appropriations that can pass both chambers,” said former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. “Standing on the sidelines waiting for one side to blink is not productive. We deserve better, and that’s why I’m running for the United States Senate.”
Brown’s opponent, John E. Sununu, also a former U.S. senator and three-term House member, noted in a podcast interview with NHJournal that he never voted to shut down the government — calling it “a foolish exercise” — and accused Senate Democrats of hypocrisy.
“Democrats in the Senate had a chance to vote for our defense spending bill last week that would have kept military pay going, giving resources to our military,” Sununu said. “They supported this military spending bill in committee and then voted against it on the floor.
“So obviously, they want to shut down the government if they’re not even willing to take action on the spending bill that they passed out of committee.”
Hassan voted against the defense appropriations bill, while Shaheen was one of three Democrats to support it. However, both voted against funding military pay during the shutdown.
Hassan, Shaheen, and their fellow Democrats — with the notable exception of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) — show no sign of allowing the CR to come to the Senate floor, regardless of the shutdown’s impact on military pay or programs like SNAP and WIC. Democratic leaders have acknowledged that the pain is part of their strategy.
“I mean, shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there will be, you know, families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage times we have,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said in an interview.
For state Rep. Maureen Mooney (R-Merrimack), the contrast between Concord and Washington is clear.
“New Hampshire is open and running to serve the people of the Granite State, unlike Washington now,” Mooney told NHJournal. “It is disappointing that our congressional delegation is ‘leveraging the suffering’ of Granite Staters during this prolonged government shutdown.
“Our Democratic U.S. senators and representatives need to heed the repeated calls to ‘open the government’ in order to stop emptying New Hampshire dinner tables to promote the Chuck Schumer agenda.”
