Just over a year ago, Ryan Sprankle had the opportunity to host then-President Donald Trump at one of his family’s three grocery stores located near Pittsburgh. During this campaign stop, the conversation turned to the pressing issue of rising grocery prices, and Trump even picked up a bag of popcorn as they talked.

Fast forward to the present, and Sprankle’s message to President Trump or any visiting lawmakers would be notably different. His concerns now center on the delayed SNAP benefits resulting from the government shutdown, which have not only impacted his customers but also his small, independent grocery chain.

“You can’t take away from the most needy people in the country. It’s inhumane,” Sprankle expressed. “This situation reflects a lack of empathy, and it’s on all their hands,” he continued, emphasizing the widespread responsibility for the issue.

This troubling scenario arose when the Trump administration halted funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at the end of October, affecting food access for approximately 42 million Americans. Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate passed legislation aimed at reopening the federal government and restoring SNAP funds. However, the bill still awaits consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives, leaving uncertainty about when SNAP payments might resume even if the government reopens.

In 2024, SNAP recipients used over $96 billion in benefits, as reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the body responsible for administering the program. A significant portion of these benefits—74%—was spent at superstores and supermarkets, which include major chains like Walmart and Kroger, as well as independent stores such as Sprankle’s.

Around 14% was spent at smaller grocery and convenience stores, businesses often tucked into neighborhoods and more easily accessible to SNAP beneficiaries.

A stalled economic engine

Etharin Cousin, a former director of the United Nations World Food Program and founder of the nonprofit Food Systems for the Future, said the cutoff of SNAP benefits had immediate impacts on grocers and convenience stores of all sizes, most of which operate on slim profit margins of 1% to 2%.

“SNAP isn’t just a social safety net for families. It’s also a local economic engine,” Cousin said. “SNAP benefits flow directly into neighborhoods, stores, regional distributors and community jobs.”

Walmart declined to comment on the impact of the SNAP funding lapse but noted that it has been lowering prices and donating to local food banks. Kroger also declined to comment.

Shoppers not receiving their food benefits affects all retailers but becomes “a big problem more quickly” at small chains, Sprankle said. His Kittanning, Pennsylvania, store gets 25% of its revenue from SNAP, but customers who don’t get government assistance also are worried about the shutdown, according to Sprankle. They’re spending less, trading down to cheaper goods or heading to food banks, he said.

Sprankle said lower sales cut into the overtime he can offer to the chain’s 140 employees. Many are worried about losing their jobs, he said.

“They have families to feed, they have kids for buy gifts for,” he said. “If I have to sell my truck, we’re going to give Christmas bonuses.”

Liz Abunaw, the owner and operator of Forty Acres Fresh Market in Chicago, recently saw a customer putting back a full cart of groceries because she couldn’t afford them without SNAP.

Abunaw opened the supermarket in September after years spent selling produce at pop-up markets and in delivery boxes. Only about 12% of Abunaw’s revenue comes from SNAP benefits right now, she said. But without it — or if SNAP recipients spend less money in her store — it will slow Forty Acres’ growth and make it harder to pay the workers, suppliers and farmers who depend on her, she said.

“SNAP is currency. I get money I then use in this economy. It’s not a food box,” Abunaw said. “The economic impact of SNAP is larger than the dollars spent.”

From neighborhood shops to food pantries

The suspended food aid also had an immediate impact on Kanbe’s Markets, a nonprofit that stocks produce in coolers at 110 convenience stores around Kansas City, Missouri. Kanbe’s distributes a mixture of donated food and food purchased from wholesalers to keep prices low, founder and CEO Maxfield Kaniger said.

Kanbe’s also distributes free food to 50 food pantries and soup kitchens around the city.

Kaniger said some of the convenience stores he works with saw their sales drop 10% in the days after Nov. 1, when SNAP benefits weren’t paid. At the same time, the food pantries he supplies asked for double or triple their usual orders.

Because it’s giving away more food than usual, Kanbe’s has to spend more buying produce for the coolers it stocks. It’s frustrating for Kaniger, who must make decisions quickly before food spoils.

“It should be enough that people are going without food. Period, end of sentence. People going without food is wrong,” he said.

Babir Sultan sells berries, lemons, potatoes, bananas and other produce from Kanbe’s at his four FavTrip convenience stores in the Kansas City area. His stores are in food deserts, far from other groceries or big retailers, he said, so it’s important to him to stock fresh produce for those neighborhoods.

Sultan said foot traffic at his stores fell 8% to 10% in early November after SNAP funding ceased. He decided to offer $10 of free produce to SNAP beneficiaries but said he’s also happy to help out other customers who might be struggling right now.

“If you’re in need, just ask, we’ll take care of you,” Sultan said. “Everybody is affected whenever the customer is feeling the pinch.”

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Durbin reported from Detroit. Associated Press data journalist Kasturi Pananjady in Philadelphia contributed to this report.