The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP is a hunger relief program that typically operates quietly in the background to ensure 1.4 million Ohioans, about 12% of the state's population, have the food they need to be sustained. For those who meet income requirements, SNAP is a lifeline that allows for purchase of highly nutritious food at local grocery stores, farm stands, and corner stores. At this moment in time, this program is under threat very immediately and even more so long term.
On November 1, 42 million people in this country will be cut off from their SNAP benefits by the federal government because of the shutdown. Within Cuyahoga County, it is estimated that 190,000 residents will be without nutrition assistance.
SNAP benefits are available through what is commonly known as the EBT card, or Electronic Benefit Transfer card. Within Cuyahoga County, these benefits are loaded on a staggered schedule throughout the month. Thirty-five percent of beneficiaries receive their benefit within the first seven days of the month. By the time the first of the next month rolls around, they have likely used their benefits to buy fresh produce, meat and dairy products to nourish their families. The first week of November will be very difficult for thousands of our community members, particularly the over 65,000 who will not receive benefits and have not been given adequate time to prepare for the loss.
Federal, state, and county governments have resources for workable solutions
This is not a locally produced problem, but the short-term solutions are likely to be local. The most obvious solution is a re-opening of the federal government, yet even without re-opening the federal government could act by releasing USDA SNAP contingency funds.
With federal action unlikely, the state could provide funds for the November allotment through the rainy-day fund. Without a guarantee from the federal government that the funds will be reimbursed, the state has not moved on this option.
The local county government could tap into an emergency fund to cover the $35 million in November SNAP benefits. This would require using funds set aside to respond to the needs of a natural disaster, which is not ideal. No SNAP in November is a disaster, but it is a political, not a natural, one. If a natural disaster were to occur within the near future, there would be limited resources to respond.
SNAP operates quietly in the background to ensure 1.4 million Ohioans, about 12% of the state's population, have the food they need to be sustained.
Nonprofits are scrambling to close the gap
Barring government intervention, the response is going to fall on local nonprofit organizations who have consistently provided hunger relief to the community. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank and other Food Banks across the state are strategizing how to increase their distribution during what is already the busiest month of the year. The neighborhood and community-based organizations who run hot meal programs and food pantries are quickly trying to adjust and prepare for an influx of community need. While our local response will be strong – it will be stretched thin and simply will not be able to meet the actual needs.
There is no question that even the very strong network of hunger relief agencies in Cuyahoga County cannot replace the $35 million in food that community members will not be able to purchase.
For every one meal a hunger relief agency provides, SNAP provides nine meals.
Huge economic losses for grocers and local businesses
While the most devastating impact will be on the community members who rely on SNAP, the local economy will also suffer. Every month, 35 million SNAP dollars are spent at Dave’s Supermarkets, Aldi’s, Giant Eagle, Heinen’s, Save-a-Lot, countless corner stores and farmers’ markets that employ your neighbors. In some of these locations, up to 30% of their sales come from SNAP.
What happens when 30% of business disappears overnight? Can they make payroll? Will they reduce staff hours? Eliminate positions?
No SNAP November will reverberate throughout the entire county, state and country.
Required to work for benefits that are not coming
All the chaos being caused by the refusal to fund SNAP this November distracts from the larger long-term effort to reduce access to benefits through work requirements, set to begin the very same day funding pauses.
U.S. House Resolution 1 (HR1), sometimes called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” requires that as of November 1, 2025, work requirement exemptions for approximately 20,000 individuals in Cuyahoga County are rescinded. Prior to HR 1, in Ohio work required adults have been required to engage in work or volunteer activities for 20 hours a week to receive SNAP benefits.
Under Ohio’s current regulations, there are multiple groups that are exempt from the work requirements.
H.R.1 removes exemptions for adults between the ages of 55-64, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, individuals who were formerly in foster care and parents or caregivers who do not have children under the age of 14.
H.R.1 is not a policy designed as a workforce development policy; it was designed to reduce the costs of benefit programs. The quickest and most effective way to reduce costs is to remove people from the programs. Similar work requirements now required for SNAP will be introduced for the Ohio Medicaid Expansion population as early as February 2026 or as late as January 2027. This will affect every corner of the state.
Coming Medicaid work requirements will add to the strain
In Cuyahoga County, there are approximately 98,000 individuals who receive their health insurance through Medicaid Expansion. About two-thirds of these individuals would already meet work requirements or qualify for an exemption. Most people on Medicaid Expansion are already working. But they will now be forced to provide documentation of their work or proof of an exemption. They will also be required to renew twice a year instead of once a year. All of this increases what is referred to as Administrative Churn: creating more work for County Job and Family Service Offices without increased financial support to hire additional workforce to manage the workload.
This will slow down benefits processing considerably for all benefits.
Lost processing efficiency will affect everyone interacting with County Job and Family Services. SNAP beneficiaries fulfilling new work requirements as well as those without work requirements will feel the drag of churn. Residents who qualify for exemptions. Those who are applying for programs outside of SNAP and Medicaid, including childcare vouchers, will be impacted as well.
A policy designed to remove nutrition support and health care access from our community has been disguised as workforce development. It appears to be working exactly as intended.
