The White House said today it will make partial payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the month of November.
The news comes after two federal judges ordered the administration on Friday to fund SNAP amid the prolonged Schumer Shutdown. Several states, including Wisconsin and California, sued the Trump administration over the pause in food share funding and demanded judges order the administration to use emergency contingency funds to pay food benefits to the 40 million Americans who rely on SNAP for groceries.
Breaking News: The Trump administration will send only partial payments this month to the millions who receive food stamps, as the shutdown continues. https://t.co/ewryFmbhoN
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 3, 2025
The Trump administration will send partial payments this month to the roughly 42 million Americans who receive food stamps, offering only a temporary reprieve to low-income families as the government shutdown rapidly approaches its sixth week.
The government revealed its plans in a set of filings on Monday in federal court, just days after a judge found fault in the government’s attempt to stop funding those benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP.
But the roughly one in eight families that receive SNAP still may be at risk of hunger and financial hardship. The Trump administration opted against using other funds to sustain the program, meaning it may have enough money to provide only about half of eligible households’ total food stamp benefits in November.
The White House insists it doesn't have the authority to fully fund SNAP, as spending originates in Congress, and Senate Democrats have refused to vote on a clean Continuing Resolution to reopen the government. The Schumer Shutdown has now lasted over a month. Rep. John Rose (R-TN) reiterated on CNN yesterday that the government can't use those contingency funds to pay for SNAP.
There are also concerns about who, exactly, is getting SNAP funds and for how long. Earlier today, the media in New Mexico interviewed a woman who has used the program for three decades, and it seems the majority of SNAP benefit recipients are immigrants, both legal and illegal.
Yesterday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News her department requested SNAP info to weed out fraud and abuse. Several blue states refused, and two sued, and Rollins vowed there was a "new sheriff in town" who would address concerns with the food assistance program.
Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin (D) said the move is "the floor, not the ceiling" and called on President Trump to spend more on SNAP.
Trump following the law and using this emergency funding to partially fund SNAP is the floor– not the ceiling.
— Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) November 3, 2025
Trump has shown he has money for all sorts of things – but food for 42 million hungry Americans should be the top of that list. He must do more to help hungry families. https://t.co/qwnywwyUXq
Baldwin has consistently voted against reopening the government, which would guarantee SNAP is fully funded.
The Justice Department said it would "fulfill its obligation to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds today" but that $5.25 billion will not cover the $8-9 billion in monthly SNAP expenses, and the administration had no plans to make up that difference, according to Reuters.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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