Mayor David Holt addresses SNAP strain

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — It's another day in the Government shutdown, and now, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt is speaking out on national news about food insecurity as SNAP benefits are still on pause.

White House officials are telling NBC News Americans could expect to see 65% of their usual benefits this month. For a family of four, that's about $646 for the month.

Right now, it's unclear when the money could be in the bank.

This week, President Trump talked with Senate Republicans about the ongoing shutdown.

"Millions of Americans are going to be without SNAP benefits. And I will say about SNAP benefits, when I was president, we had $7 billion worth, and now they have many times that because these benefits were given to anybody that asked," said President Donald Trump.

A new survey from the U.S. Conference of Mayors shows 96% of American cities are seeing the impacts from the pause in SNAP benefits. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt is president of that group.

Mayor Holt went on CNN and said the debate over who qualifies for SNAP is a conversation for a later time. 

"They have been told by their federal government that they will receive these snap benefits. And this is no time to pull the rug out from under them. These are people who use this as a lifeline, who depend on this. The American people need these snap benefits, and they need their federal government to reopen," said Mayor David Holt (R-Oklahoma City).

Holt is counting on compromise to help the millions who rely on SNAP daily from both red and blue states.

"It's based on politics, and it needs to stop. The American people need these snap benefit,s and they need their federal government to reopen," said Mayor Holt.

Governor Stitt announced they will set aside $1 million per week for Oklahoma food banks as long as benefits aren't restored to help Oklahomans out for the next seven weeks.