(Austin, TX) — Texas residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will be receiving their February benefits early because of the partial government shutdown.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission says the U.S. Department of Agriculture instructed Texas and other states to issue next month’s benefits early to help clients make it while the shutdown lasts.  February SNAP benefits will be loaded onto recipients’ Lone Star cards on January 20th.

The department urges recipients to budget carefully in the month ahead.