President Trump’s administration announced Monday that it would partially fund the food assistance program after a ruling by two judges required it to continue.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture had planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because the shutdown made it unable to continue funding the program. The program is used by about 1 in 8 Americans and is an important part of the nation’s social safety net. Nationally, it costs about $8 billion a month.
It’s not clear how much beneficiaries will receive or how quickly the value will appear on the debit cards they use to buy groceries. The process of loading a SNAP card involves steps by state and federal agencies and vendors and can take up to two weeks in some states. The average monthly benefit is typically about $190 per person.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the nation’s largest food program, announced last month that benefits for November would not be paid due to federal considerations. That began a scramble for food banks, state governments and the roughly 42 million Americans receiving aid to find ways to ensure access to groceries.
Most states have stepped up support for food banks, and some plan to reload benefit cards from state taxpayers.
It also spurred lawsuits.
Massachusetts and Rhode Island issued separate but similar rulings Friday, informing the government that it must use a single fund of about $5 billion to pay for at least part of the program. Benefits and administrative costs cost more than $8 billion per month.
The judges gave the government the option to use additional funds to fully fund the program and a Monday deadline for a decision.
Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Providence, R.I., said if the government chooses to fully fund it, it would have to make the payment on Monday. The partial version requires recalculation of benefits, so the payment deadline is Wednesday.
“I don’t want Americans to go hungry because radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and reopen the government,” President Trump said on social media Friday. He said he is directing government attorneys to prepare SNAP payments as soon as possible.
Many recipients recharge their cards at the beginning of the month, and the card reloading process can take several weeks in many states, delaying payments into November.
Democratic attorneys general and governors in 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, objected to the plan to suspend the program, arguing that the administration had a legal obligation to continue the program in their jurisdictions. Cities and nonprofits also filed lawsuits.
The USDA has set aside $5 billion in reserve funds for the program, but the Trump administration reversed previous plans to use that money to keep SNAP open. Democratic Party officials have argued that the administration may use a separate fund worth about $23 billion.
U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, said SNAP must be funded with at least $2,000 and asked for an update on progress by Monday.
McConnell said in a follow-up order Saturday that if the government wants to make the full payment, it must do so by the end of Monday. If partial ones are selected (requires recalculation of the amount recipients receive), they must be issued by Wednesday.
In some situations, the card loading process can take up to two weeks, so people won’t necessarily see their payments right away.
Mr. McConnell also ruled that all previous exemptions from work requirements must continue to be respected. During the government shutdown, the USDA ended existing exemptions that waived work requirements for seniors, veterans, and others.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruled that the suspension was illegal and said the USDA must pay SNAP costs. Mr. Talwani ordered the federal government to notify by Monday whether it will use the emergency reserve fund to reduce SNAP benefits in November or fully fund the program using both the reserve and additional funds available.
Advocates and beneficiaries argue that ending food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills. The majority of states are rushing to add at least some benefits or include additional benefits to SNAP debit cards.
Rhode Island officials announced Monday that SNAP beneficiaries under the program, who also receive benefits from another federal program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, received payments on Saturday equal to a quarter of the amount they normally receive from SNAP. Delaware officials are telling recipients that benefits won’t be available until at least Nov. 7.
To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a household’s net income, excluding certain expenses, must not exceed the federal poverty line. For a family of four, that comes out to about $32,000 a year. Last year, SNAP assisted nearly 42 million people, about two-thirds of whom were families with children.
Mulvihill writes for The Associated Press. Associated Press writer Kimberly Krusi in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.
