Trump Admin Tells Judge It’ll Disburse Half of SNAP Benefits for Eligible Households in November, With ‘Significant’ Delays

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), joined by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), speaks to members of the media following the Republican Senate Policy Luncheon at the U.... WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), joined by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), speaks to members of the media following the Republican Senate Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on October 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. The government remains shut down after Congress failed to reach a funding deal last week. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) MORE LESS

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Sky York Journal

The Trump administration told a federal judge on Monday that it plans to use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) contingency fund to cover 50 percent of November allotments to current eligible households — but that it might take states “a few weeks to up to several months” to disburse the money.

The delay in giving out half of what current households are allotted, the filing said, is due to “variation among State systems, some of which are decades old,” and that “manual overrides or computations” “could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”

A senator from each party has introduced standalone bills to fund SNAP as the shutdown continues, but Republican leadership in both chambers has expressed reluctance to putting the legislation up for a vote. They see letting low-income families go hungry as a useful cudgel to force Democrats into voting to reopen the government. Vice President JD Vance reportedly told Senate Republicans last week to stop supporting standalone bills to fund priorities such as military pay, as it weakens the pressure on Democrats to support the GOP continuing resolution.  

Read the filing here:

Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary of the Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in his declaration that the administration had decided against siphoning funds from the Child Nutrition Program — which provides free school breakfasts and lunches, among other things — because it “merely shifts the problem to millions of America’s low income children that receive their meals at school.”

The delay in giving out half of what current households are allotted, the filing said, is due to “variation among State systems, some of which are decades old,” and that “manual overrides or computations” “could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”

A senator from each party has introduced standalone bills to fund SNAP as the shutdown continues, but Republican leadership in both chambers has expressed reluctance to putting the legislation up for a vote. They see letting low-income families go hungry as a useful cudgel to force Democrats into voting to reopen the government. Vice President JD Vance reportedly told Senate Republicans last week to stop supporting standalone bills to fund priorities such as military pay, as it weakens the pressure on Democrats to support the GOP continuing resolution.  

Read the filing here:

“This means that no funds will remain for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely,” the filing said. 

Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary of the Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in his declaration that the administration had decided against siphoning funds from the Child Nutrition Program — which provides free school breakfasts and lunches, among other things — because it “merely shifts the problem to millions of America’s low income children that receive their meals at school.”

The delay in giving out half of what current households are allotted, the filing said, is due to “variation among State systems, some of which are decades old,” and that “manual overrides or computations” “could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”

A senator from each party has introduced standalone bills to fund SNAP as the shutdown continues, but Republican leadership in both chambers has expressed reluctance to putting the legislation up for a vote. They see letting low-income families go hungry as a useful cudgel to force Democrats into voting to reopen the government. Vice President JD Vance reportedly told Senate Republicans last week to stop supporting standalone bills to fund priorities such as military pay, as it weakens the pressure on Democrats to support the GOP continuing resolution.  

Read the filing here:

The administration wrote that the $4.65 billion in the contingency fund will be spent entirely on covering 50 percent of benefits.

“This means that no funds will remain for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely,” the filing said. 

Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary of the Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in his declaration that the administration had decided against siphoning funds from the Child Nutrition Program — which provides free school breakfasts and lunches, among other things — because it “merely shifts the problem to millions of America’s low income children that receive their meals at school.”

The delay in giving out half of what current households are allotted, the filing said, is due to “variation among State systems, some of which are decades old,” and that “manual overrides or computations” “could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”

A senator from each party has introduced standalone bills to fund SNAP as the shutdown continues, but Republican leadership in both chambers has expressed reluctance to putting the legislation up for a vote. They see letting low-income families go hungry as a useful cudgel to force Democrats into voting to reopen the government. Vice President JD Vance reportedly told Senate Republicans last week to stop supporting standalone bills to fund priorities such as military pay, as it weakens the pressure on Democrats to support the GOP continuing resolution.  

Read the filing here:

Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, had instructed the administration to tell the court of its plans regarding the benefits by Monday. 

The administration wrote that the $4.65 billion in the contingency fund will be spent entirely on covering 50 percent of benefits.

“This means that no funds will remain for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely,” the filing said. 

Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary of the Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in his declaration that the administration had decided against siphoning funds from the Child Nutrition Program — which provides free school breakfasts and lunches, among other things — because it “merely shifts the problem to millions of America’s low income children that receive their meals at school.”

The delay in giving out half of what current households are allotted, the filing said, is due to “variation among State systems, some of which are decades old,” and that “manual overrides or computations” “could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”

A senator from each party has introduced standalone bills to fund SNAP as the shutdown continues, but Republican leadership in both chambers has expressed reluctance to putting the legislation up for a vote. They see letting low-income families go hungry as a useful cudgel to force Democrats into voting to reopen the government. Vice President JD Vance reportedly told Senate Republicans last week to stop supporting standalone bills to fund priorities such as military pay, as it weakens the pressure on Democrats to support the GOP continuing resolution.  

Read the filing here:

A collection of blue state officials sued the administration earlier this month, when the shutdown meant an abrupt cutoff of SNAP payments and the administration expressed resistance to dipping into the contingency fund. It’s the first time in the program’s history that the scheduled payments lapsed. 

Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, had instructed the administration to tell the court of its plans regarding the benefits by Monday. 

The administration wrote that the $4.65 billion in the contingency fund will be spent entirely on covering 50 percent of benefits.

“This means that no funds will remain for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely,” the filing said. 

Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary of the Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in his declaration that the administration had decided against siphoning funds from the Child Nutrition Program — which provides free school breakfasts and lunches, among other things — because it “merely shifts the problem to millions of America’s low income children that receive their meals at school.”

The delay in giving out half of what current households are allotted, the filing said, is due to “variation among State systems, some of which are decades old,” and that “manual overrides or computations” “could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”

A senator from each party has introduced standalone bills to fund SNAP as the shutdown continues, but Republican leadership in both chambers has expressed reluctance to putting the legislation up for a vote. They see letting low-income families go hungry as a useful cudgel to force Democrats into voting to reopen the government. Vice President JD Vance reportedly told Senate Republicans last week to stop supporting standalone bills to fund priorities such as military pay, as it weakens the pressure on Democrats to support the GOP continuing resolution.  

Read the filing here:

A collection of blue state officials sued the administration earlier this month, when the shutdown meant an abrupt cutoff of SNAP payments and the administration expressed resistance to dipping into the contingency fund. It’s the first time in the program’s history that the scheduled payments lapsed. 

Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, had instructed the administration to tell the court of its plans regarding the benefits by Monday. 

The administration wrote that the $4.65 billion in the contingency fund will be spent entirely on covering 50 percent of benefits.

“This means that no funds will remain for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely,” the filing said. 

Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary of the Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in his declaration that the administration had decided against siphoning funds from the Child Nutrition Program — which provides free school breakfasts and lunches, among other things — because it “merely shifts the problem to millions of America’s low income children that receive their meals at school.”

The delay in giving out half of what current households are allotted, the filing said, is due to “variation among State systems, some of which are decades old,” and that “manual overrides or computations” “could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”

A senator from each party has introduced standalone bills to fund SNAP as the shutdown continues, but Republican leadership in both chambers has expressed reluctance to putting the legislation up for a vote. They see letting low-income families go hungry as a useful cudgel to force Democrats into voting to reopen the government. Vice President JD Vance reportedly told Senate Republicans last week to stop supporting standalone bills to fund priorities such as military pay, as it weakens the pressure on Democrats to support the GOP continuing resolution.  

Read the filing here: