U.S. President Donald Trump attends a press briefing in Washington, D.C., amid renewed debate over federal food aid funding (Photo: Pinterest)
In the wake of weeks of uncertainty over food assistance during the government shutdown, the Trump administration was ordered by a federal judge in Rhode Island to release emergency funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.
The program which supplements the food of almost 45 million Americans, ground to a halt on November 1, after the administration refused at first to dip into contingency funds. After the court's ruling, the USDA announced it would distribute $4.65 billion to restart the program for November.
In its legal filing responding to the court order, USDA confirmed that the allotted amount will be sufficient for the support of only about half of the current SNAP participants. That means not everyone will get a full payment and some people will only receive partial payments.
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Those who filed for benefits in November won't get any payments this month. Partial funding reflects the limits of the emergency resources available and leaving millions of families uncertain how much aid they will actually get.
USDA officials said payments will be prioritized for those already enrolled before November. The officials explained that although the benefits reopen, the reduced funding pool means partial payments or distribution every other month in order to serve as many households as possible. The department added it is working to prevent an outright loss of benefits while seeking to restore full operations as soon as regular government funding resumes.
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The USDA did not pinpoint a date when benefits would actually hit recipients accounts. In general, SNAP benefits start hitting accounts on the first of every month and officials hinted that such might be the case this time too, after processing.
Nonetheless, delays are feasible amid all the financial and logistical challenges. For now, millions of Americans relying on SNAP will get some form of support for November, though there is uncertainty as to how long the partial funding can keep the program going.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on official statements and court filings. Details may change as the USDA updates SNAP distribution plans.
USDA resumes SNAP benefits after federal court order, providing partial aid to millions affected by the government shutdown.
