RELEASE: Gottheimer Fights to Fully Fund SNAP Benefits & End the Government Shutdown

Above: At Overpeck County Park, Gottheimer announced new action to protect SNAP benefits, reopen the government, and help families receive critical food assistance; joined by Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur.

LEONIA, NJ - Today, Thursday, November 6, 2025, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) announced new action to fully fund November SNAP benefits and end the ongoing government shutdown at an emergency food distribution site at Overpeck County Park. Gottheimer joined with the County of Bergen and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey to help distribute emergency food to support families impacted by the recent lapse in vital SNAP benefits.

More than 800,000 people in New Jersey and nearly 42 million nationwide rely on SNAP benefits to cover the cost of food and groceries. Families receive $187 a month on average.

Gottheimer's New Action to Protect SNAP & Reopen the Government:

• Calling on the Speaker to Bring the House Back into Session Every Week to Reopen the Government: Gottheimer is continuing to call on the Speaker of the House to bring the chamber back into session every single week to get a bipartisan deal done to reopen the government, fully fund SNAP, and stop the ACA tax credits from expiring.

• Gottheimer recently released a set of bipartisan principles, with Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), and Jeff Hurd (R-CO), to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits.

• Demanding the Trump Administration Utilize Available Funds to Keep SNAP Benefits Going: Gottheimer is calling on the Trump Administration to ​​use the tariff revenue that they already used for WIC to provide full November SNAP benefits for families. Additionally, federal courts already ordered the Trump Administration to use the $6 billion Congress provided for this exact scenario. The Administration must utilize all of the funds they have available to them immediately and stop delaying relief to families.

• Calling on Congressional Leadership to Prevent Future SNAP Crises: Gottheimer is writing to House Appropriations leadership urging an increase in funding for the SNAP contingency fund to avoid another lapse in the future.

Video of Gottheimer's remarks can be found here.

"As of this month, more than 800,000 people in New Jersey lost access to the SNAP food assistance they rely on. Of those 800,000 in Jersey, almost half are children, one in three have a disability, and one in five are over the age of 60. In Bergen County alone, nearly 26,000 families rely on SNAP," said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). "We can't just let families get whacked by high costs and let them lose access to SNAP. We must work together to prevent a financial disaster from wrecking Jersey pocketbooks and to stop families from going hungry. I'm not going to stop fighting until we get this done."

Gottheimer was joined at Overpeck County Park today by Bergen County Executive James Tedesco, Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur, Bergen County Commissioner Mary Amoroso, Bergen County Commissioner Germaine Ortiz Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, Community FoodBank of New Jersey President & CEO Elizabeth McCarthy, Community Food Action Executive Director Nicole Davis, and members of the community.

Below: Gottheimer joined with the County of Bergen, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, and Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur to help distribute food to impacted families.

###