SNAP funds pause could be painful hit to grocers

If food stamp funds dry up because of the government shutdown, grocers would feel a big strain — especially those who cater to lower-income customers.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are in jeopardy due to the shutdown, starting with those set to go out Saturday. While two judges have ruled that the Trump administration will have to tap into a $5 billion emergency fund to make up for that pause, that pot of money will not cover the whole month of November, and grocers will soon be reckoning with reduced purchasing power on the part of their customers.