CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — More than 100,000 residents across the Coastal Bend are among 3.5 million Texans who will go without federal food assistance in November after a government shutdown forced the suspension of SNAP benefits.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, halted payments due to insufficient federal funding, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service.
Across 11 counties in the KRISTV viewing area, 100,986 individuals received SNAP benefits in September, totaling more than $17.2 million in monthly food assistance, according to data from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Nueces County accounts for nearly 60% of recipients in the region, with 60,305 individuals receiving more than $10.5 million in benefits.
SNAP Benefits in the Coastal Bend (September 2025)
- Nueces County: 60,305 individuals / $10,572,754 in benefits / Population: 352,289
- San Patricio County: 10,558 individuals / $1,727,828 in benefits / Population: 70,660
- Jim Wells County: 9,236 individuals / $1,518,974 in benefits / Population: 38,863
- Kleberg County: 5,643 individuals / $915,896 in benefits / Population: 30,629
- Aransas County: 3,277 individuals / $545,008 in benefits / Population: 24,449
- Duval County: 2,807 individuals / $458,097 in benefits / Population: 9,824
- Brooks County: 2,031 individuals / $338,395 in benefits / Population: 6,987
- Live Oak County: 1,332 individuals / $217,362 in benefits / Population: 11,444
- Bee County: 4,853 individuals / $804,332 in benefits / Population: 31,000
- Refugio County: 913 individuals / $135,337 in benefits / Population: 6,693
- Kenedy County: 31 individuals / $3,945 in benefits / Population: 52
Source: Texas Health and Human Services Commission, September 2025
The federal government shut down Oct. 1 after lawmakers missed their deadline to fund federal agencies. With Democrats and Republicans locked in a stalemate over government funding and health insurance subsidies, the USDA notified states Oct. 10 to hold off distributing November benefits "until further notice."
The shutdown affects more than 42 million Americans nationwide who depend on SNAP for food assistance.
The pause will force families to make difficult choices between paying rent and buying food, according to Feeding Texas, a statewide network of food banks.
Who receives SNAP in Texas
Nearly half of Texas SNAP recipients are children — approximately 1.7 million minors depend on the program monthly, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
About one-third of SNAP households include elderly adults or people with disabilities, according to federal data. Close to 40% of SNAP households have at least one employed member, but their wages fall below the poverty level.
Nationally, about 73% of SNAP households have gross monthly incomes at or below the federal poverty line — about $32,000 annually for a family of four — according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
For eligible Coastal Bend households, the average SNAP benefit in September per household was $334, according to HHSC data.
