No federal food aid will be disbursed on November 1, the Trump administration posts on the USDA website

The USDA posted a notice on its website that federal food aid will not go out on November 1, increasing the risks facing families across the country as the government shutdown continues.

He watches: As federal workers lose pay during the shutdown, many are turning to food banks for relief

The new notice comes after the Trump administration said it would not tap nearly $5 billion in emergency funds to maintain benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing through November. This program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.

“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA notice says. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”

The lockdown, which began on October 1, is the second-longest on record. While the Republican administration had taken steps leading up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits would be paid this month, cutting the service would extend the impact of the impasse to a broader swath of Americans — and some of those most in need — unless a political solution is reached within a few days.

The administration blames Democrats, who say they will not agree to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on extending benefits that expired under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say Democrats must first agree to reopen the government before negotiating.

Democratic lawmakers wrote to Agriculture Secretary Brock Rollins asking that emergency funds be used to cover the bulk of next month’s benefits.

But a USDA memo that appeared Friday says “emergency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” The money is earmarked for things like helping people in disaster areas, the document says.

She cited a storm named Melissa, which intensified into a major hurricane, as an example of the importance of having funds to mobilize quickly in the event of a disaster.

The possibility that families will not receive food aid raises deep concern in states run by both parties.

Some states have pledged to keep SNAP benefits flowing even if the federal program stops payments, but there are questions about whether U.S. government guidance might allow that to happen. The USDA memo also says states will not be reimbursed for the cost temporarily.

Other states require SNAP recipients to be prepared for benefits to stop. For example, Arkansas and Oklahoma advise recipients to identify food pantries and other groups that help provide food.

Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, accused Republicans and Trump of not agreeing to negotiate.

“The reality is if they sat down to try to negotiate, we probably could get something done pretty quickly,” Murphy said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We could open the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there wouldn’t be any food stamp program crisis.”