By CORY SMITH | The National News Desk | Fri, October 31st 2025

Veterans are feeling angst over the government shutdown, said Jim Whaley, a 20-year Army veteran and the CEO of advocacy group Mission Roll Call.

“We’ve done some polling, and we’ve done some talking to a number of veterans, and far and wide, of course, just like every other American, they’re very upset,” he said. “They’re very concerned about it.”

Nearly 60% of people responding to a Mission Roll Call survey said they were a veteran or military family being impacted by the shutdown.

Over 90% said they were concerned about veterans losing access to food assistance because of the shutdown.

And 90% want the government to continue food stamp benefits for veterans.

“We’ve never seen a poll that high,” Whaley said.

Over 1 million veterans get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits.

And funding for those benefits was set to lapse this weekend because of the shutdown, but judges ruled Friday that the government must tap into contingency funds to keep the food aid program operating.

But that’s far from the only way veterans are feeling the impact of the shutdown.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has furloughed employees, even though essential functions have continued.

VA health care is still available.

Veterans can still get care at VA’s 170 medical centers and roughly 1,200 outpatient sites.