U.S. Shutdown hits food assistance and threatens sales at Walmart and Kroger

 

While Donald Trump signed the bill to reopen the government on 12 November 2025, the shutdown that began in early October disrupted payments from the national food assistance programme. Each year, it distributes 100 billion dollars to 42 million Americans. On November 8, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) asked States to suspend the full payment of these November 2025 allocations. While several States decided to maintain payments by drawing on their own funds in the hope of a federal reimbur