The Trump administration said Monday it will provide partial November food assistance for millions of Americans, but warned that many states may need weeks or even months to deliver the aid. The plan was outlined in a federal court filing after a judge in Rhode Island ordered the Department of Agriculture to use emergency funds to cover at least part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
A USDA official said states must make significant system changes before they can calculate and issue reduced payments. Those adjustments could take “a few weeks to up to several months,” according to Patrick Penn, the agency’s deputy under secretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services.
SNAP payments lapsed on November 1 for the first time in the program’s six-decade history due to the ongoing federal shutdown. Some states have raced to cover benefits on their own or have increased support for food banks as demand grows.
The Justice Department said the USDA will exhaust the program’s $5.25 billion contingency fund as ordered by the court, but the administration will not tap additional sources that would fully fund SNAP, which costs roughly $8 billion to $9 billion each month. Officials said tariff revenue, some of which was used last week to support the WIC program, cannot cover the much larger cost of full food assistance.
Democratic-led states that sued the administration argue that other federal reserves should be used to restore full payments. Senator Amy Klobuchar said the administration is “playing politics with hunger” and urged officials to use all available funds.
The administration said $600 million will go toward state administrative costs, leaving $4.65 billion to fund about half of eligible households’ normal benefits. States must now calculate partial allotments and send updated information to EBT processors. Conduent, which handles cards for 37 states, said it can act quickly once states provide the data.
Meanwhile, several governors are stepping in. Alaska issued a disaster declaration to release funds, while New Jersey deployed National Guard members to assist food banks. Other states, including Connecticut, New Mexico and West Virginia, are sending additional resources to food pantries strained by rising food prices and increased need.
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