If SNAP funding dries up next month as threatened, that will put increasing pressure on Connecticut food pantries to fill the need.

WALLINGFORD — The Trump administration has announced federal food assistance that helps feed nearly 436,000 people in Connecticut will stop flowing on Nov. 1, saying the "the well has run dry" as the federal government shutdown continues.

Groups like Connecticut Voices for Children and Connecticut Social Services are encouraging SNAP recipients to spend their benefits before Nov. 1.

CT families receiving SNAP benefits could lose nearly $200 monthly on average, a bigger hit than families would feel in any other state.

Yes, Connecticut officials said that EBT cards will indeed continue to work during the government shutdown, even in November when no new SNAP funds will be issued. The USDA confirmed this in a statement sent to all SNAP state agencies.

With a federal government shutdown likely to expand into November, hundreds of thousands of people in Connecticut will not receive November SNAP benefits.

President Trump said he would fund SNAP in a social media post Friday, after two judges ordered the administration to distribute money to recipients of the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown.

Financial strain could be down the line for those accepting SNAP dollars, as a pause in benefits starts next month. Currently, around 360,000 people in Connecticut use SNAP benefits, according to the state’s Department of Social Services.

The continuing federal government shutdown is about to hit hard for those who depend on SNAP, the benefits formerly known as food stamps. Unless the federal government shutdown is ended, benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will end Nov.