Trump Administration To Fully Fund SNAP Benefits During Appeal

The Trump administration announced on Friday (November 6) that it will fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits while appealing a federal judge's order. U.S. District Judge John McConnell had mandated the administration to deliver full payments to states by Friday, criticizing delays that may have caused hunger among SNAP recipients.

The administration had initially requested an emergency pause on the judge's order, citing limited funds due to a government shutdown. However, in a memo acquired by NBC News, Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary of the Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, informed states that the USDA would ensure full SNAP benefits are issued. The funds were expected to be available later on Friday.

Previously, the administration had agreed to use $4.65 billion in contingency funds to cover about 65% of the usual benefits, arguing that using additional funds from child nutrition programs would deplete resources for other programs like school lunches. Nearly 42 million people depend on SNAP, commonly known as food stamps.

The ongoing debate over SNAP funding began when the USDA announced benefits would not be distributed in November during the government shutdown. This decision was challenged by Democracy Forward, leading Judge McConnell to order the administration to expedite payments. Despite partial payments being disbursed earlier in the week, McConnell stated that the administration's actions did not meet his order for efficient payment delivery. He emphasized, "People have gone without for too long. Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable."