Lummis Backs Bill to Keep SNAP Flowing in Wyoming as Shutdown Drags On

The original story by Ron Richter for Sheridan Media.

With a government shutdown threatening to cut off food aid next week, US Sen. Cynthia Lummis is throwing her support behind a quick fix to keep groceries on Wyoming tables. On Tuesday, the Wyoming Republican joined the Keep SNAP Funded Act, a proposal from Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri that would guarantee full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the duration of the shutdown—retroactive to day one.

Why the urgency? If Congress doesn’t act, nutrition programs like SNAP are expected to run out of money on Nov. 1, potentially leaving more than 42 million Americans without food assistance. In Wyoming, that risk lands on nearly 29,000 people across about 13,000 households. The average monthly benefit here is roughly $386 per household, adding up to $5.2–$5.4 million in support each month and about $62 million in 2024 alone. Most of those benefits go to children and seniors.

Lummis says her first choice is a “clean” continuing resolution to reopen government and make sure SNAP and WIC are funded, federal law enforcement and air traffic controllers get paid, and small businesses, ranchers and farmers can access critical loans. But until she can get the votes — she says she needs five more Democrats — she’s backing Hawley’s bill as a stopgap.

“No child in Wyoming should go to bed hungry during the shutdown,” she said in a statement.

Bottom line: SNAP is a lifeline in rural states like Wyoming, and this bill is meant to keep that lifeline intact while Congress fights over the bigger budget picture.