Millions of Americans may want to hold onto their EBT cards — even if benefits lapse for a bit. Why it matters: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will freeze in November, but rollover dollars will still be accessible and cards can be used in the future.

Here’s what SNAP benefits are, who funds them, the average amount that participants will be missing next month and some food assistance resources.

The federal government will not send out November SNAP benefits if the shutdown continues into the weekend. But what happens to benefits already on EBT cards?

Typically, funds are added onto EBT cards at the beginning of the month. While recipients are able to use remaining SNAP benefits from prior months, there have been no additional funds added on at this point. "I have to stretch everything," said Caridad Diaz, a Durham mother who relies on SNAP and Social Security.

Millions of Americans rely on federal assistance for access to nutritious food. Here's who's impacted as funds dry up in the government shutdown.

The Trump administration said it will fund the food assistance program in part this month. The threat of a lapse has incited chaos in Washington, on social media and at food banks nationwide.

What exactly is SNAP, and is it the same as food stamps? How does it work? Here's what to know as Nov. 1 cutoff nears.

SNAP, often called food stamps, is the nation's largest food aid program, providing monthly benefits to low-income Americans so they can access healthy food and essentials. The SNAP cut this weekend would impact more than 42 million Americans who relied on ...

The Trump administration confirmed last week that benefits will stop on Nov. 1, warning states that EBT cards will not be refilled “until further notice.”

Two federal judges have ruled that the Trump administration must at least partially cover food stamp benefits in November. Millions of Americans could still face delays to their benefits, which were scheduled to be distributed tomorrow but disrupted by the government shutdown.

With food-stamp funding set to lapse Saturday, recipients are asking what happens to their benefits — and when help might resume.