‘The perfect storm’: Congressman Brendan Boyle warns of looming impacts of federal shutdown

Congressman Brendan Boyle is calling on U.S House Speaker Mike Johnson to reconvene the U.S. House of Representatives as the federal government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, while warning of the impending damage that the shutdown could wreak on Pennsylvanians. 

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Boyle said the ongoing shutdown, coupled with funding cuts from President Donald Trump’s domestic policy bill – the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – could create a “perfect storm” that imperils access to healthcare and food for some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents. 

“This is the perfect storm,” Boyle said. “We’re in a moment right now in which food costs are dramatically increasing in the United States. At the same time, Republicans have pushed through these massive cuts to SNAP. So this is absolutely the worst timing.”

Boyle said Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is anticipated to result in 143,000 Pennsylvanians losing access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, adding that the new law will also cause insurance premiums to increase in 2026. And now, with the federal government shutdown in full effect, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is unable to pay for November SNAP benefits, which will affect tens of millions of people throughout the country.

In a letter to regional SNAP directors sent on Oct. 10, Ronald Ward, acting associate director of SNAP at the USDA, wrote that “if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services estimates that nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians won’t receive November SNAP payments if the federal government shutdown drags on. 

The federal government has distributed more than $366 million to Pennsylvania each month since SNAP was created in 1964, according to the department. 

In a statement, Gov. Josh Shapiro put the blame on Republicans in Washington.

​​"Republicans’ failure to pass a federal budget in Washington, D.C., is having a direct impact on our commonwealth,” the governor said on Monday. “And now, this federal shutdown is threatening critical food assistance for two million Pennsylvanians who rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families.” SNAP recipients will still be able to use unspent funds on their EBT cards during the shutdown, and the Department of Human Services said it will continue to process SNAP applications. 

Boyle said he has had private conversations with House Republicans who have expressed frustration that the U.S. House is not in session. 

“This is a heartbreaking situation,” he added. “It’s all the more reason why we need to come to a resolution and end this shutdown before November 1 – and also stop the Obamacare cuts from coming down the pike. That certainly is not going to happen while we’re sitting at home.”