WASHINGTON, D.C. (LOOTPRESS) – The Trump administration announced Monday that it will partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after two federal judges ordered the program to continue despite the government shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture had planned to halt SNAP payments beginning Nov. 1, citing an inability to maintain funding amid the shutdown.
SNAP, which provides food assistance to roughly 1 in 8 Americans, is a key component of the nation’s social safety net and costs about $8 billion per month nationally.
It remains unclear how much aid recipients will receive or when funds will appear on their SNAP debit cards.
“The process of loading the SNAP cards, which involves steps by state and federal government agencies and vendors, can take up to two weeks in some states,” officials said.
The average monthly benefit is about $190 per person.
To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a household’s net income after certain expenses cannot exceed the federal poverty line — about $32,000 annually for a family of four.
Last year, nearly 42 million Americans received SNAP assistance, with roughly two-thirds of recipients being families with children.
