Despite rulings from two federal judges on Friday who said SNAP benefits could not be suspended for the first time in the program's 61-year history, many Texans are still likely to face payment delays.

It’s not clear how soon assistance could reach people and the rulings could be appealed, The Associated Press reported.

"We've never in the 18 years of Minnie's Food Pantry being here, in the 31 million meals we've served, had to turn away a person," Chery Jackson said. "Am I concerned about it today? Absolutely."

The calls to the Republican governor came as the food stamp program was set to run out of funding amid the government shutdown.

The Odessa American is the leading source of local news, information, entertainment and sports for the Permian Basin.

The Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus is calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to act now in using the state's Rainy Day Fund to provide funds for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as the government shutdown may cause those 3.

Texas is home to 254 counties—more than any other U.S. state—and has wide disparities in SNAP enrollment. According to a September 2025 report from Texas Health and Human Services, Lamar County had the highest enrollment at 29.5 percent of residents, while King County had the lowest at 0.7 percent.

Texas, offered a pointed analogy Wednesday when asked about Democrats blaming President Donald Trump for the impending cutoff of federal nutrition assistance due to the government shutdown. Cornyn compared Democrats to the proverbial kid who murders his parents,