After Federal Shutdown Cut Food Aid for 15.5% of Nevadans, Legislature Passes Emergency Backup Plan
Half a million Nevadans (15.5% of the state’s population) received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in 2024, the highest level on record. Nevada’s SNAP participation rate far exceeds the national average of 12.3%, ranking the state eighth among all states and Washington, D.C.
The SNAP program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and formerly known as food stamps, helps low-income households buy food. Eligibility is based on federal rules recently updated through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025: gross income below 130% of the poverty line ($1,632/month for a single person in 2025), countable assets below $3,000, and most able-bodied adults must meet work requirements.
Participation in SNAP remains heavily concentrated among Nevada households with children. In 2023, 24% of all households with children participated in the program, compared to 8.9% of households without children. Among single female-parent households with children, the participation rate reached 40.3%.
Funding for SNAP benefits is 100% federal, with administrative costs currently split 50-50 between the federal government and the states. Starting in fiscal year 2027, the federal share of administrative costs will drop to 25%, shifting an additional $19 million in the first year onto Nevada taxpayers.
The 43-day federal government shutdown that began October 1, disrupted SNAP funding across the country. In the House, Nevada Democrats Dina Titus, Steven Horsford, and Susie Lee voted against the Republican-backed funding bill, although it passed anyway. In the Senate, Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen voted against the funding measure for the first 40 straight days of the shutdown before breaking with Senate Democratic leadership and joining a bipartisan coalition to fund and open the government. By contrast, Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Republican Representative Mark Amodei backed funding bills throughout, repeatedly warning that a shutdown would harm Nevadans, including the $44 million in economic losses Nevada suffered during the 2018–2019 shutdown.
During the shutdown, Republican Governor Joe Lombardo authorized $38.8 million from state reserves under the Food Insecurity Nevada Plan to bolster food banks and emergency distributions, with the Nevada National Guard placed on standby for logistics support.
In direct response, Gov. Lombardo and the Nevada Legislature held a special session in November and unanimously passed Senate Bill 3, creating the Silver State General Assistance Program, a state-funded backup that can quickly redirect general fund dollars to provide temporary cash assistance to low-income households if federal SNAP funding is ever interrupted again by a shutdown or other extraordinary event. The program is designed to bridge benefit gaps while remaining compliant with federal rules.
