Pa. food stamp recipients get early payments
By Jacob Tierney and Tom Davidson
People who depend on food stamps to feed their families face uncertainty as the federal government’s partial shutdown drags on.
About 1.8 million Pennsylvanians on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, commonly known as food stamps, received their February benefits on Friday — about two weeks ahead of schedule — because of the shutdown.
But it remains unknown when they might receive benefits again.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the SNAP program, was able to use a legal loophole to disburse its February benefits ahead of schedule. The loophole won’t work for March payments, and officials don’t know how — or if — food stamp recipients will receive benefits if the shutdown lasts another month.
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