“More than 800,000 New Jerseyans rely on SNAP to help put food on the table for themselves and their families. The United States Department of Agriculture has announced that, due to the federal government shutdown, it will not fund SNAP benefits starting in November, despite the availability of about $5 billion in SNAP contingency funds for emergency circumstances.

“Washington Republicans have repeatedly used their total control over our federal government to gut the social safety net, rip food away from hungry families, and kick people off of their health care. These decisions are putting families across our state in impossible positions, forcing them to choose between feeding their children, affording life-saving medications, or paying rent. We see this for what it is – a clear abandonment of America’s working- and middle-class families.

“I urge Washington Republicans to stop turning their backs on the American people and use the federal funds at their disposal to keep families from going hungry.”