As the government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday that Senate Democrats will lend their support to Republican Senator Josh Hawley’s measure to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Speaking at a Capitol Hill press conference, Schumer declared: “Today, tomorrow, if Senate Majority Leader John Thune would bring it to the floor, it would pass overwhelmingly.”

Senator Hawley’s initiative—the Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025—aims to guarantee that SNAP benefits continue unabated throughout the shutdown. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the SNAP program, has issued a warning that millions of low-income Americans could lose their food assistance as early as Saturday if Congress fails to act.

The bill currently has ten Republican co-sponsors: Senators James Lankford (Oklahoma), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee), Bernie Moreno (Ohio), Kevin Cramer (North Dakota), Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), Katie Britt (Alabama), Jon Husted (Ohio), and John Cornyn (Texas).

Majority Leader Thune has pointed out that Democrats “could end the shutdown immediately” by approving the funding measure passed earlier by the House, which would extend current spending levels temporarily. In response, Senator Ben Ray Luján unveiled a competing bill Wednesday that would cover both SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). This proposal—the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025—has earned the co-sponsorship of every Senate Democrat.

The USDA reports that during fiscal year 2024 approximately 41.7 million Americans received SNAP benefits each month, at a total cost of about $99.8 billion—roughly $187 per recipient per month. Meanwhile, WIC assisted around 6.7 million individuals during this same period, covering approximately 41 percent of U.S. infants, at a cost of $7.2 billion. Importantly, beneficiaries may qualify for both programs simultaneously. The USDA has made clear that it will not tap into a $5 billion contingency fund set aside for emergencies like natural disasters, stating those funds cannot legally be used to cover benefits during a lapse in government funding. November’s SNAP costs are projected to be around $9.2 billion nationwide.

On the Senate floor Wednesday, Leader Thune expressed frustration at what he described as Democrats’ refusal to advance funding legislation. “We tried to do that 13 times! You voted no 13 times,” he charged during Luján’s request for a standalone vote on SNAP funding. “You all just figured out, 29 days in, that there might be some consequences.”

Despite the heated rhetoric, Thune told reporters that informal discussions between party leaders have “ticked up significantly,” and that a resolution “will happen pretty soon.” Senator Chris Coons (Delaware) agreed that members from both sides of the aisle are increasingly engaged in dialogue, asking: “What does the path forward look like?”

Senator Collins offered a sobering observation: for Democrats to maintain influence over spending decisions, she said, “we have to pass appropriations.” The remarks underscore a growing recognition within both parties that extended inaction may weaken their respective capacities to shape the budget process going forward.