After SNAP benefits were halted Saturday, the USDA reminded retailers they must comply with the Equal Treatment Rule, which bars special food discounts for SNAP/EBT customers.

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

The potential SNAP benefit delay could increase growing hunger crisis in Texas, a state which has the highest population of food insecure people in the U.S.

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.

Although the Trump administration confirmed on Monday it would partially fund the program during the shutdown after two federal judges ruled it must