November 15, 2025: The longest government shutdown in history has now concluded. Through this ordeal, we continued our advocacy in Washington to advance recovery and protect vital federal programs from cuts or even elimination, While most of the narrative for October was focused on subsidies for health insurance policies purchased in accordance with the Affordable Care Act, a new issue has arisen in early November: the SNAP program. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”), known colloquially as “food stamps,” provides nutrition assistance to 40 million Americans. On November 1, SNAP benefits were not distributed (for the first time in history) impacting people in all 50 states. Those benefits will now resume- yet with a spotlight that is considerably larger.
While at first the SNAP issue may not appear to be one of importance to an organization focused on recovery, it will have a very real impact on the populations we serve. Food insecurity is a leading factor in contributing to substance use, and we have the data to prove it. Studies have shown that food insecurity may serve as an important indicator of substance use among young adults. It is recommended that practitioners should consider screening for food insecurity, providing information about food access, and developing interventions to address food insecurity among the young adults with whom they work. Future research should examine these associations prospectively to better understand how food insecurity may contribute to the initiation and/or escalation of substance use.1
We now know that a permanent extension of enhanced tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, which were introduced during the Biden administration and are set to expire by year’s end, will not take place. When those subsidies lapse, millions of Americans could either lose their health insurance or see their premiums rise significantly. This could certainly have an impact on the ability to pay for SUD treatment services, although we do not have enough data yet to determine what the exact impact will be.
In the legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President on November 12, language was included that workers who were “RIFd” (Reduction in Force) in October by the Office of Management and Budget may return to work. This could mean over one hundred staff returning to SAMHSA. How the White House reacts to such a policy change in the future, and whether it tries to challenge the policy in court, remains to be seen.
It is our expectation that Congress will now return to the business of completing FY 2026 appropriations bills. We will continue to advocate for programs at SAMHSA and other agencies that benefit SUD treatment and recovery populations, and will keep you informed of our progress.
1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743524003037