On November 3rd, the Trump administration announced it will send partial—approximately halved—payments this month to the roughly 42 million Americans who receive food stamps, providing only a scant and temporary reprieve to low-income families as the federal shutdown borders on its sixth week. 

The one in eight families living in the United States who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, may still be in peril of imminent hunger and financial hardship. Against the ardent pleas of politicians across the aisle, the Trump administration declined to use its full stable of available funds—totaling billions of dollars—in order to sustain the nation’s largest anti-hunger program in full this month.  As a consequence, eligible households may receive only half as much in benefits compared to their usual amounts, according to officials. 

Beginning November 1st, the Department of Agriculture froze funding for SNAP—the first such occurrence since the program began six decades ago. The Trump administration’s decision comes after two federal judges ordered the Trump administration on Friday to continue funding for food stamps during the government shutdown, ruling that the administration had acted unlawfully by refusing to tap into money from an Agricultural Department contingency fund. 

In an 81-page opinion, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia wrote that Mr. Trump’s order had violated the separation of powers, asserting authority over the voting process not afforded by the Constitution. 

“Congress has never assigned any responsibility for the content of the federal form to the president or to any other individual in the executive branch with the power to act unilaterally,” she states. “The power to alter the federal form is—and always has been—delegated solely to a bipartisan, independent commission.”

Uncertainties about when food stamp recipients would actually receive their aid heightened on Friday when Mr. Trump took to Truth Social to state that his administration would release the funds only upon receiving “appropriate legal direction” from the court. He warned that any food stamp benefits paid in November would “unfortunately be delayed.”

What is SNAP?

SNAP is a U.S. federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance to low-income households. Approximately 42 million Americans, residing in 22 million households, rely upon SNAP; this represents around one in eight people living in the United States. Benefits awarded by SNAP average roughly $187 a month and cost the federal government around $8 billion monthly. 

The SNAP system is fully electronic. Every month, a dollar amount is loaded onto a card, which is then used similarly to a debit or credit card. Almost any food sold at a grocery store can be purchased with SNAP. However, SNAP cannot be utilized for hot or cooked food. SNAP recipients must be U.S. citizens—apart from exceptions including people who are refugees, are from Cuba or Haiti, or have been granted asylum. 

How does the shutdown impact SNAP?

In order for SNAP to properly function, lawmakers must regularly approve money through the program through their normal budget process; this process is currently paralyzed by the legislative impasse in Congress. Although the government shut down in the beginning of October, SNAP benefits were not expected to run out of funds until November 1. 

What can the government do to fund SNAP?

In order to cover any emergencies or shortfalls, SNAP maintains a sizable reserve as a fall-back for rainy days. Both Democratic and Republican politicians have pressured the Trump administration to utilize this funding in order to preserve food stamps into November, with no end to the shutdown currently in sight. 

However, in opposition to the guidance of aforementioned politicians, the Trump administration declined to dip into those funds; it did so even as the Agriculture Department declared it could reprogram money to prevent benefit cuts. Officials of the Trump Administration claim they can do little to rescue SNAP, arguing that funding payments in full using a second account at the Agriculture Department would not be legally feasible. In a sworn declaration, Patrick A. Penn, a top official at the Agriculture Department, stated that using the money to provide full stamp aid would “stray from congressional intent.” 

One should note that the Trump Administration has moved around billions of dollars to sustain other functions of government when federal funding lapsed. Mr. Trump and his Republican allies in Congress have long aspired to cut and restrict SNAP; Mr. Trump himself has associated SNAP with the Democratic Party, which—as we have repeatedly heard—he has ardently promised to punish.

How are states mitigating the SNAP shutdown?

More than a dozen states, predominantly run by Democrats, will be using their own funds to temporarily fill the gap; they do so primarily by working with food banks. California is releasing $80 million to bolster food banks in the state, whereas Connecticut is allocating $3 million and Minnesota $4 million. 

However, some governors have stated they will not be using state funds to replace missing federal food aid. Many states are contending with a slowing economy, sweeping federal spending cuts, or uncertainty spurred by the president’s erratic trade and immigration policies. In one such state, Governor Wes Moore of Maryland stated that his state did not have the capacity to cover the cost of SNAP. He furthermore expressed doubt that his state would ever be reimbursed if it were to do so. 

More than two dozen states have sued the Trump administration in an effort to unlock frozen funds before SNAP benefits ran out. 

Resources

Food banks statewide are ensuring millions of California families don’t go hungry as the federal shutdown delays critical CalFresh benefits. If you need help or want to support food banks in your community, visit: https://lnkd.in/gGgnRF7s

Works Cited

NPR. (2025, November 3). SNAP food-benefits cuts loom as Trump government shutdown bites. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/03/nx-s1-5596121/snap-food-benefits-trump-government-shutdown

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2025, July 24). Distribution of SNAP participants by age, fiscal year 2023. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/chart-detail?chartId=54640#:~:text=In%20fiscal%20year%202023%2C%20children,percent%20in%20fiscal%20year%202023.

CNN. (2025, November 3). Uncertainty persists for SNAP recipients, federal workers as shutdown drags on. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/03/politics/november-snap-benefits-government-trump

Commonwealth of Massachusetts et al. v. United States Department of Agriculture et al., Civ. No. 1:25-cv-13165-IT (D. Mass. Oct. 31 2025) — Memorandum & Order (Talwani, J.) requiring USDA to report by November 3, 2025 regarding use of contingency funds for SNAP. https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/decisions/commonwealth-of-massachusetts-v-united-states-department-of-agriculture-temporary-restraining-order-memorandum-2025.pdf New York State Attorney General+1 

Rhode Island Council of Churches et al. v. USDA et al., D.R.I. (Oct. 31 2025) — Order by Chief Judge John J. McConnell, J. directing USDA to use emergency/contingency funds for SNAP benefits and submit a plan by noon Monday. https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RI-Council-of-Churches-v.-Rollins-Complaint-with-attachments-1.pdf rhodeislandcurrent.com+1