Maryland residents may see their SNAP benefits halted starting this Saturday as the federal shutdown continues to drag on.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is used by about 700,000 Marylanders including nearly 270,000 children and 121,615 adults aged 62 and older. It is funded on a month-to-mother basis, meaning the September funding for October is about to run out.

The shutdown started on Oct. 1.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Friday that he will not tap into state cash reserves to pay for benefits.

“I have been clear that there is no state that has the balance sheet to cover when the federal government says: ‘You know what? We’re just going to leave you on your own,’” Moore said.

He continued on to say that the USDA has the reserves and the legal responsibility to pay SNAP benefits.

The USDA has a $6 billion contingency fund for situations where SNAP is threatened.

The Trump Administration has made no indication that it will use the fund.

The White House has found ways to pay for other costs that have been halted by the shutdown. Including taking a one hundred and thirty million dollar donation from billionaire Timothy Mellon to pay people in the military.

Families using SNAP receive about $180 dollars a month.

They are issued cards that are only eligible for use for food and other essential products.

The Maryland Department of Aging is urging people to go to food banks if they are unable to afford food during the halt in benefits.