US government will pay partial SNAP benefits for November during shutdown

The US government said on Monday that it will use emergency funds to pay partial benefits under the federal food-assistance program for November, but warned the process could result in delays in some states.

The Trump administration says it will use money from an Agriculture Department contingency fund. The $5 billion in that fund falls well short of the full cost of SNAP benefits — $8 billion — each month.

The decision comes after two federal judges ruled that freezing payments for the country’s biggest anti-hunger program is unlawful, even as the money ran out this weekend for the 42 million people who rely on SNAP to put food on the table. The government’s response is part of the case in Rhode Island.

The administration warns there could be lengthy delays before benefits get into the hands of low-income families who depend on SNAP to put food on the table. About 1 in 8 U.S. residents get an average of $187 a month per person in SNAP.

Citing the government shutdown, USDA froze funding for SNAP beginning Nov. 1 — the first time that’s happened since the country’s largest anti-hunger program began six decades ago. On Friday, two federal judges ruled that this pause is likely unlawful.

Both judges said that Congress provided more than $5 billion in emergency funds for exactly this kind of situation, and they rejected the Trump administration’s argument that it could not legally use that money to keep SNAP going. It not only can use the money, but must, the judges said.

After the rulings were issued Friday, Trump posted on social media that his lawyers would seek clarity from the court on how to fund SNAP. And if they got it, “it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay,” Trump wrote.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNN Sunday that the Trump administration would not appeal the judges’ ruling. He said it’s possible that funding for SNAP “could be” restored by Wednesday, but “there’s a process that has to be followed. We’ve got to figure out what the process is.”