# SNAP Shutdown Crisis: Expert Available on Reform 

The government shutdown threatens to cut food assistance for over 40 million Americans, not because states can’t manage their programs, but because Washington controls the majority of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding.

October 30, 2025 • News Releases 

The government shutdown threatens to cut food assistance for over 40 million Americans, not because states can’t manage their programs, but because Washington controls the majority of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding.

Cato’s [Romina Boccia](https://www.cato.org/people/romina-boccia) and [Tyler Turman](https://www.cato.org/people/tyler-turman) argue in a [new blog post](https://www.cato.org/blog/food-stamp-shutdown-reveals-fragility-federal-welfare) that this crisis exposes a fundamental flaw: SNAP’s centralized funding creates a single point of failure. Their latest analysis proposes converting SNAP to block grants provided to the states, similar to the successful 1996 welfare reforms to TANF, along with a gradual federal spending phase-down.

This would insulate food aid from federal dysfunction while empowering states to tailor programs to local needs.

Available for interviews on SNAP reform and state-level welfare innovation.

Other Relevant Commentary:

- [Thoughts About the Government Shutdown](https://www.cato.org/blog/thoughts-about-government-shutdown-1)
- [The Folly of Letting the Executive Control Spending](https://www.cato.org/blog/folly-letting-executive-control-spending)
- [Shutdown Theatrics Just Distract Us from the Real Problem: Obscene National Debt](https://www.cato.org/commentary/shutdown-theatrics-just-distract-us-real-problem-obscene-national-debt)
- [SNAP: High Costs, Low Nutrition](https://www.cato.org/briefing-paper/snap-high-costs-low-nutrition)
- [Stealing from SNAP](https://www.cato.org/blog/stealing-snap)
- [Work Requirements in SNAP](https://www.cato.org/blog/work-requirements-snap)

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