Trump administration will provide only half of usual food stamp benefits in November
A man walks past an EBT payment sign posted on the front window of a grocery store in Philadelphia, in October. Matt Rourke/AP
The Trump administration announced Monday that it will provide only half of the normal food stamp benefits for November, drawing from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) contingency fund due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Recipients, however, may face delays in receiving these partial payments.
According to a sworn statement from a USDA official filed in federal court, $4.65 billion from SNAP’s contingency fund will cover 50% of eligible households’ November benefits. The remaining $600 million will go toward state administrative costs and nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico and American Samoa.
This decision follows a federal judge in Rhode Island ordering the USDA last week to either provide full November benefits or partial payments if the agency relied solely on the contingency fund. The administration opted not to pull $4 billion from other sources to cover full benefits.
Nearly 42 million Americans rely on SNAP, receiving an average of just over $350 per month. The pause in benefits has caused concern for many recipients, who have turned to crowded food pantries for assistance. Millions began missing payments Saturday, with more potentially affected as the month continues.
Delays Expected
The USDA plans to provide guidance to states on partial payments on Monday, but some recipients may not see funds for weeks or even months, USDA official Patrick Penn told the court. Adjusting for reduced allotments will require states to reprogram their systems, a process that could be complex and prone to errors due to variations in state systems, some decades old.
States halted the issuance of November benefits after the USDA sent a letter on October 10, citing a lack of funds amid the shutdown, which began October 1. Payments can only resume after states update systems and send recipient information to vendors.
While providing full benefits would be faster, the USDA declined to use funds from child nutrition programs, which supply free or low-cost meals to schoolchildren, warning that doing so would create a “shortfall” for millions of low-income children. That fund currently holds nearly $17 billion.
Legal Pressure and Administration Response
Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island had given the USDA a Monday deadline to outline its plan. A second federal judge in Boston issued a similar order requiring at least partial payments from SNAP’s contingency fund. Both judges left it to the agency’s discretion whether to tap other funds to cover full benefits.
Previously, the USDA maintained that contingency funds are intended for emergencies, such as natural disasters, and are “not legally available to cover regular benefits.” President Trump indicated Friday that he wants benefits restored, posting on Truth Social that he instructed administration lawyers to explore legal options to resume SNAP payments quickly.
The USDA has used leftover tariff funds to continue other priorities, including a $300 million transfer last month to temporarily sustain WIC assistance for women and children.
The decision to limit SNAP payments prompted lawsuits from a coalition of 25 Democratic attorneys general and governors in Boston, as well as a coalition of cities, non-profits, unions, and small businesses in Rhode Island.
Democracy Forward, representing the Rhode Island plaintiffs, criticized the partial payments, saying it is “considering all legal options to secure payment of full funds.” CEO Skye Perryman said, “It shouldn’t take a court order to force our President to provide essential nutrition that Congress has made clear needs to be provided. We will continue to fight so people receive the full benefits they are entitled to under SNAP.”
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