As November looms, states are trying to sort what options they can offer beneficiaries to fill the gap in food assistance. Reporters from the NPR Network are covering the impact of this potential lapse in states across the country.

"Now we'll have to prioritize which bills we can pay and which can wait," said one mother of two about a looming freeze in food aid.

Democrats are working to balance their health care demands and find solutions for SNAP, with Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján on Wednesday introducing legislation that would direct the USDA to release available contingency funds to ensure benefits under SNAP and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program continue during the shutdown.

The government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—also known as food stamps–is set to run out on November 1. This pause, due to the federal government shutdown, will affect millions of Americans who rely on the program to help feed their families.