Reports in the Trump administration say that no federal food aid will be delivered on November 1

The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website stating that federal food assistance will not be delivered on November 1, raising the stakes for families across the country as the government shutdown continues.

The new message comes after the Trump administration said it will not tap about $5 billion in emergency funds to maintain benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called SNAP, which runs through November. That program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.

“The bottom line is the well has dried up,” the USDA release says. “Right now, benefits will not be delivered on November 1. We are approaching a turning point for Senate Democrats.”

The shutdown, which started on October 1, is now the second longest on record. While the Republican administration took steps in the run-up to the shutdown to ensure SNAP benefits would be paid this month, the shutdown would extend the impact of the impasse to a broader group of Americans — and some of those most in need — unless a political solution is found within days.

The administration is blaming Democrats, who say they won’t agree to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them to extend expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say Democrats must first agree to reopening the government before negotiations.

Democratic lawmakers have written a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins asking him to use emergency funds to cover the bulk of next month’s benefits.

But a USDA memo that surfaced Friday states that “emergency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.” According to the document, the money is set aside for things like helping people in disaster areas.

It cited a storm named Melissa, which has grown into a major hurricane, as an example of why it is important to have the money to mobilize quickly in the event of a disaster.

The prospect of families not receiving food assistance is of great concern to states led by both parties.

Some states have pledged to keep SNAP benefits flowing even if the federal program halts payments, but there are questions about whether U.S. government guidelines can allow that. The USDA memo also states that states would not receive reimbursement for temporarily covering the costs.

Other states are telling SNAP recipients to be ready for benefits to end. For example, Arkansas and Oklahoma advise recipients to identify food banks and other groups that help with food.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., accused Republicans and Trump of not agreeing to negotiate.

“The reality is, if they sat down and negotiated, we could probably come up with something pretty quickly,” Murphy said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “We could open the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there would be no crisis in the food stamp program.”