Marylanders who receive federal benefits may be impacted if the government shutdown continues into November.

On Saturday, the shutdown reached 18 days without an agreement in sight.

According to The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), SNAP benefits could be delayed or interrupted entirely if Maryland agencies don't receive direction from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on time. 

"If we get to November and we are still in a shutdown, or as we go throughout October, we're looking at a potential delay in terms of USDA being able to administer those benefits to state agencies," said LaMonika Jones, with Maryland Hunger Solutions and D.C. Hunger Solutions, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC).

In the meantime, officials advise recipients to continue using their SNAP benefits.

"Continue to utilize the benefits. We don't want to cause any panic in anyone," Jones said. "WIC is not shutting down, it's not ending. Same thing for SNAP, SNAP is not shutting down. Continue to operate until we have more clarity."  

Currently, the state has more than 692,000 SNAP beneficiaries, according to the 2025 Maryland Hunger Profiles.

Resources for Marylanders

Since the shutdown, local and state leaders have continually announced resources and support for impacted residents.

Governor Wes Moore has announced numerous opportunities for Marylanders who have been affected.

During a resource fair in Howard County on Friday, Moore announced that the MARC and Commuter Bus services would be free for federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown.

The federal government is the largest employer of Maryland citizens, according to the Mayor's office, with more than 160,000 federal civilian jobs and about 225,000 jobs supported by federal contracts.