Firestorm Over Food Stamps Erupts With Funds Set to Expire

The political firestorm over the looming cutoff in food-aid funding intensified Thursday as lawmakers from both parties sounded alarms and some states warned retailers of its consequences.

The US Agriculture Department began notifying states earlier this month that funding would run out for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, if the government shutdown stretches into November. Halting food assistance for the roughly 42 million people who receive SNAP benefits would dramatically ramp up the economic pain inflicted by the shutdown, particularly for lower-income households.

In Virginia, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency to provide ...