Federal funding for SNAP food assistance could halt Saturday, leaving 360,000 Connecticut residents without new benefits on their EBT cards.

The fight over funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) spilled over from Washington into Connecticut on Wednesday, with the State Senate’s Democratic leadership calling on their Republican counterparts to urge the Trump administration to release billions stowed away in a federal contingency fund.

Over 40 million Americans could lose access to federal food assistance Saturday if the government shutdown continues into November.

Groups like Connecticut Voices for Children and Connecticut Social Services are encouraging SNAP recipients to spend their benefits before Nov. 1.

It is wrong to starve people so you can bring your political opponents to heel. It is wrong to starve people into submission, and that is what this president is doing,” Attorney General

HARTFORD — Connecticut is joining 21 other states and three governors in suing President Donald Trump along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Secretary Brooke Rollins over the administration's decision to suspend SNAP benefits for November, state Attorney General William Tong announced Tuesday.

Financial strain could be down the line for those accepting SNAP dollars, as a pause in benefits starts next month. Currently, around 360,000 people in Connecticut use SNAP benefits, according to the state’s Department of Social Services.

Connecticut will spend $3 million to partially supplement federal food aid benefits for residents during the government shutdown.