Thanksgiving aftershocks: how the Shutdown is still shaping SNAP families’ Holiday plans

The federal government shutdown may have ended, but its impact is far from over. For millions of SNAP (food stamp) recipients, the early-November disruption to benefits has rippled directly into one of the most important family meals of the year: Thanksgiving.

To understand the lingering strain, Propel surveyed 1,528 SNAP recipients from November 18th and 19th, 2025 to learn how late or partial benefits affected their food security, their finances, and their holiday plans. Their responses reveal a holiday season defined by stress, sacrifice, and delayed recovery.

Many SNAP households still haven’t fully recovered from the shutdown#many-snap-households-still-havent-fully-recovered-from-the-shutdown

Although benefits eventually resumed, most households continue to feel the financial and emotional strain.

• 50% of respondents rated their stress level at the highest level (5 out of 5) when asked about affording food this month
• Nearly 40% say it will take 1–3 months for their household to fully recover financially
• An additional 8.4% anticipate recovery taking more than six months

These levels of prolonged hardship mirror concerns expressed before the shutdown, when families warned that missed benefits would push them past their breaking point.

Half of families altered Thanksgiving plans due to SNAP delays#half-of-families-altered-thanksgiving-plans-due-to-snap-delays

The shutdown didn’t just strain budgets, it reshaped holiday traditions. 46.2% of families say it completely changed their Thanksgiving plans:

Confidence in being able to afford a Thanksgiving meal was also low:

• 54% were not very or not at all confident they could afford their holiday meal
• Just 12.5% felt “very confident”

These shifts echo the pre-shutdown fears captured earlier this fall, when parents worried their children would go hungry if deposits didn’t arrive on time.

Many still lacked enough food for the week leading into Thanksgiving#many-still-lacked-enough-food-for-the-week-leading-into-thanksgiving

Nearly half of respondents (49.4%) reported they did not have enough food, benefits, or money to meet their household’s needs this week.

This mirrors the widespread reports earlier this month that many benefits did not last even two weeks under normal circumstances.

As one respondent noted:

Families turned to survival strategies typically associated with crisis, not celebration#families-turned-to-survival-strategies-typically-associated-with-crisis-not-celebration

The week of Thanksgiving looked more like the aftermath of an emergency than the lead-up to a holiday.

Respondents reported the following coping strategies:

• 47% borrowed money or food from friends/family
• 47% visited a food pantry
• 45% bought cheaper or lower-quality food
• 43% skipped meals
• 39% delayed paying bills

These responses closely mirror strategies families shared in late October—buying cheaper food, skipping meals, visiting community organizations—underscoring that the shutdown’s effects didn’t end when the government reopened.

Delayed SNAP benefits forced trade-offs far beyond food#delayed-snap-benefits-forced-trade-offs-far-beyond-food

Late deposits didn’t just disrupt meals, they reshaped entire household budgets.

These are the kinds of cascading financial consequences that researchers have documented among households who are farther removed from their SNAP deposit date.

The shutdown is over, but for SNAP families, the recovery is not#the-shutdown-is-over-but-for-snap-families-the-recovery-is-not

For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving is a moment of warmth, abundance, and togetherness. But for many SNAP households, this year’s holiday highlights how fragile food security becomes when even a single deposit is disrupted.

Households are still catching up on overdue bills, still borrowing from friends and family, still skipping meals—and still trying to give their families a sense of normalcy.