Due to the U.S. federal government “shutdown,” several government-led welfare programs have been forced to halt operations after running out of funds, including the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Yet, after 14 rounds of voting, Democrats and Republicans have still failed to reach an agreement on the fiscal year 2026 spending bill. As temperatures drop, countless low-income households now face a dual crisis of struggling both to heat their homes and to put food on the table.

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