Trump administration agrees to partially fund SNAP despite government shutdown:
The federal food stamp program will pay out partial benefits to millions of Americans despite running out of regular funding at the start of this month due to the ongoing government shutdown, the Trump administration confirmed in court documents Monday.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive about 50% of its normal benefit level throughout November, using a contingency fund set aside for natural disasters and other emergencies.
The announcement by the White House follows a pair of Friday rulings by federal judges in Boston and Providence, RI rejecting the US Department of Agriculture’s plan to stop paying out benefits Nov. 1.
“Per orders issued by the United States District Courts for the Districts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, FNS [Food and Nutrition Service] intends to deplete SNAP contingency funds completely and provide reduced SNAP benefits for November 2025,” a Department of Agriculture official attested in court documents.
SNAP has about $4.65 billion in its contingency fund — a little more than half of the $8 billion the feds spend on SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million Americans each month. Normally, beneficiaries receive about $190 per month in assistance.
The Department of Agriculture indicated that recipients will be able to petition their states for additional benefits as the Trump administration scrambles to address the funding lapse.
“In addition to adjusting eligibility and benefit issuance files to accommodate the reduction, States must notify all SNAP households of the reduction, as well as handle any requests for fair hearings from SNAP households related to the reduction,” the official added.
In late September, the Department of Agriculture penned a memo warning it didn’t have the legal authority to transfer the emergency money to address a funding lapse, an explanation that was rejected by Boston US District Judge Indira Talwani and Providence US District Judge John J. McConnell, both of whom said the feds were obligated by law to keep the program going. --->READ MORE HERE
Democrats’ big shutdown ‘win’ is only going to be setting a new record for ‘longest’ — and most futile:
President Donald Trump moved Monday to blunt the pain Democrats are inflicting on food-stamp families with their government shutdown, which will be the longest ever if it continues through Wednesday.
Rather than cut off payments after the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ran out of cash this weekend, Trump & Co. will cover at least partial benefits, using money from a contingency fund meant for food during natural disasters.
The president doesn’t want to see the 42 million Americans who depend on food stamps have to struggle any more than necessary — plus, as ever, he’s complying with valid court orders directing the payments to continue (even if the judges in question are likely to be overruled by higher courts).
“President Trump wants to make sure that people get their food benefit,” noted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday.
Last week, Trump himself said on Truth Social that if the courts provide legal direction, “it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding” for food-stamp benefits.
But make no mistake: Dems are still holding SNAP recipients hostage; the partial payments will only cover 50% of their usual benefits, leaving them painfully short. And they can expect significant delays in getting even that.
Democrats openly admit they care more about forcing Republicans to spend an extra $1.5 trillion on various bailouts than on reopening the government. --->READ MORE HERE
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