The federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has been an increasingly searched topic of discussion as the government shutdown threatens to halt benefits for the more than 42 million Americans who rely on it.
If the shutdown, which is nearing the one-month mark, continues into November, SNAP benefits could cease as early as Nov. 1.
Below, find out what to know about the program, including how it works and who is eligible to receive benefits.
The program, sometimes referred to as food stamps, issues electronic benefits to millions of eligible low-income individuals and families. Those benefits can then be used to purchase food.
SNAP is run by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, which administers federal food assistance programs.
"SNAP helps low-income working people, senior citizens, the disabled and others feed their families," the agency states on its website. "Eligibility and benefit levels are based on household size, income and other factors."
U.S. citizens must apply for SNAP in the state they currently live in and must meet requirements such as resource and income limits, the USDA website states.
A state-by-state map provides direct contact information for local SNAP offices, and each state has its own application form.
Once a household is approved to receive benefits by the state agency, they received benefits backdated to when they submitted their application.
There are both gross and monthly income limits for various household sizes that determine benefits, and according to the program's website, in "most cases, your household must meet both -- or you are not eligible for SNAP and cannot receive benefits."
The SNAP income and resource limits are updated annually.
Each month, SNAP benefits are loaded onto an Electronic Benefits Transfer or EBT card. The card functions like a reloadable debit card and can be used to buy food at grocery stores and farmer's markets, as well as some online retailers.
The use of SNAP benefits by food insecure Americans can vary based on unemployment, food costs, and seasonal changes, but is particularly important during the holiday season, when food banks and other services are at their busiest and helping communities in need.
The benefits are contingent on a number of factors for different individuals and households.
According to the program's parameters, eligible households can use their benefits on fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry, and fish; dairy products; breads and cereals; other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages; and seeds and plants that produce food for the household to eat.
There are a variety of retailers, farmers markets and other food operators that accept SNAP EBT payments.
Click here for a locator map tool to see more.
The SNAP "frequently asked questions" page states, "If you are found eligible, you will receive a notice that tells you how long you will receive SNAP benefits for; this is called your certification period. Before your certification period ends, you will receive another notice that says you must recertify to continue receiving benefits."
According to the website, local SNAP offices can provide recipients with further information on how to recertify.
Earlier this year, after President Donald Trump signed his tax and spending megabill into law on July 4, changes were made to SNAP eligibility factors, including work requirements and non-citizen eligibility.
The megabill also slashed SNAP funding by an estimated $186 billion over 10 years.
The SNAP eligibility page is still being updated, according to the USDA SNAP website.
The megabill further shuttered the SNAP-Ed, a federally funded grant program that "helps people make their SNAP dollars stretch, teaches them how to cook healthy meals, and lead physically active lifestyles," according to the program's website.
Funding for SNAP-Ed ended Oct. 1.
Starting next year, states will also begin sharing a higher percentage of administrative costs associated with running SNAP, and some will be required to shoulder some of the cost of SNAP benefits if their payment error rate exceeds 6%.
