Trump administration plans partial SNAP payments using contingency funds following court order

WASHINGTON, DC: The Trump administration told a federal court on Monday, November 3, that it would use contingency funds to provide partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in November, after a judge ordered the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to release emergency funding for the program.

According to the filing, the administration said that it would deploy all $4.65 billion in available contingency reserves, which would reportedly be enough to cover about half of each eligible household’s benefits this month.

Officials said that an additional $4 billion in government funds would be needed to restore full payments.

Trump administration says child nutrition funds are off limits

The administration said that it had considered tapping the Agriculture Department’s 'Section 32' funds, which support child nutrition and agricultural surplus programs, but ultimately ruled against it.

“Section 32 Child Nutrition Program funds are not a contingency fund for SNAP,” the filing stated. 

"Using billions of dollars from Child Nutrition for SNAP would leave an unprecedented gap in Child Nutrition funding that Congress has never had to fill with annual appropriations," it further stated.

The statement, signed by USDA Under Secretary Patrick Penn, underscored concerns that diverting funds could undermine the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, both already strained by the prolonged shutdown.

Millions without aid as shutdown drags on

Tens of millions of Americans reportedly did not receive their November SNAP benefits over the weekend, as the government shutdown, now entering its fifth week, threatened to become the longest in US history.

Across the country, the fallout has been stark. In Texas and California, stadium parking lots were reportedly turned into massive food distribution sites, where volunteers handed out boxes of produce, frozen meat, and household staples to families left without assistance.

Before the court’s ruling, Democratic leaders from 25 states had sued the USDA, arguing that the department was legally obligated to use contingency funds to prevent a humanitarian crisis.

The USDA had previously maintained that those funds were “not legally available to cover regular benefits,” insisting they were reserved for emergencies such as natural disasters.

The judge’s order, combined with mounting public pressure, forced the administration to reverse course.

But with only half the benefits restored and no end to the shutdown in sight, advocates warn that the reprieve may be short-lived.

Trump says clarification needed from court for SNAP funding 

President Donald Trump vowed on Friday, October 31, that his administration would “fund the SNAP as soon as possible” if courts give the legal green light, as millions of Americans face uncertainty amid the ongoing government shutdown.

The president said that his legal team was seeking immediate clarification from federal courts after government attorneys expressed concern that existing funds may not be legally available for distribution.

“Our Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay SNAP with certain monies we have available, and now two Courts have issued conflicting opinions on what we can and cannot do,” Trump wrote in a post on social media.

“I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” he continued, adding that he had directed attorneys to seek judicial clarification “as soon as possible.”