Gov. Walz announced state funding Monday to help Minnesotans who receive monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families says they're being forced to stop processing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits (SNAP), or food stamp applications, starting Wednesday because of the government shutdown.

Gov. Tim Walz announced $4 million in emergency funding will go to Minnesota food shelves as the ongoing government shutdown threatens to cut off SNAP benefits for hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans.

Food stamps often make up all or most of a household’s food budget, though in some cases they supplement the income of low-income families.

DCYF sent an email to Minnesota’s 87 counties and 11 tribal nations earlier this week, laying out a timeline that appears to taper off the distribution of benefits.

Ellison told the committee he was confident of victory in court, but couldn’t say for sure there wouldn’t be a delay in the November benefits or a reduced amount for recipients.

If the continuing resolution or any other funding measures are not passed, funding for SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps as it's commonly called — will run out on Nov. 1.

The ongoing government shutdown means SNAP benefits for roughly 440,000 Minnesotans will be halted on Nov. 1. To help manage the gap, Gov. Tim Walz released $4 million in emergency funding for food shelves.