The Agriculture Department says it can’t use a reserve fund to pay food stamp benefits during the partial government shutdown.

The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York was facing soaring demand before the shutdown. Cuts to food stamps could push it to the limit.

The battle over food stamps has emerged as the latest flash point in the fierce partisan clash over government spending. Republicans in Congress are increasingly highlighting the imminent shortfall facing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in a bid to pressure Democrats to help end the ongoing shutdown.

SNAP, the country's largest anti-hunger program, dates back to the Great Depression and has never been disrupted this way. Most recipients are seniors, families with kids, and those with disabilities.

The Louisiana House unanimously passed a resolution Oct. 24 directing the state health department to step in and fund food stamps through November while the federal government is shut down. It heads to the Senate next.

People who rely on the federal food assistance program might not receive their benefits for the month of November because of the ongoing government shutdown.

Members of the AFSCME union who help those in need of food assistance say the federal government has put them in an impossible position.