Bessent says SNAP payments "could be" made this week
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listens as U.S. President Trump speaks to members of the media aboard Air Force One on Oct. 27 in flight. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration could green-light food assistance payouts by Wednesday, after federal courts ordered officials to tap into emergency funds to keep aid flowing.
The big picture: Even if the Trump administration complies with orders to ensure SNAP benefits are at least partially paid, it's still unclear when millions of families will actually receive their aid. And any relief would be a temporary fix under the ongoing government shutdown.
- A federal judge on Saturday presented the administration with two options: make full payments by Monday or partial payments by Wednesday.
Driving the news: Bessent said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that payments "could be" made by Wednesday, but he added that "five Democratic senators could cross the aisle and open the government by Wednesday."
- Asked by CNN's Jake Tapper when payments could be issued, Bessent pointed to President Trump's Friday Truth Social post announcing he had asked the court "to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible."
- "President Trump just Truthed out that he's very anxious to get this done," Bessent said. "And it's got to go through the courts. The courts keep jamming up things."
Yes, but: Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island already responded to Trump's post with Saturday's legal direction, even thanking the president for his "quick and definitive response."
- However, the court gave the administration leeway in deciding whether it wanted to tap into additional dollars beyond the contingency fund to make a full payment.
- But it said that "under no circumstances shall the partial payments be made later than Wednesday, November 5."
Catch up quick: More than 40 million Americans were at risk of missing out on November payments after the Agriculture Department argued it couldn't use contingency funds to pay for aid.
- Food bank leaders, already seeing spiking demand, quickly began sounding the alarm, and Democrats hammered the administration on accusations of weaponizing Americans' hunger.
State of play: Judge McConnell was not alone in his conclusion. Massachusetts District Judge Indira Talwani also said Friday that USDA's argument that it could not use contingency funds was an "erroneous conclusion."
- Talwani ordered, "This court has now clarified that Defendants are required to use those Contingency Funds as necessary for the SNAP program."
What we're watching: But even if partial or full payments reach families in November, the funding lap could stretch on. It's just a few days shy of taking the title for the longest shutdown in American history — and the impacts are rippling throughout the country and government workforce.
- And the contingency funds, while substantial, would not cover the total $8 billion needed to pay for the entire month.
- Asked on CNN whether those funds running dry could prompt Democrats to cave, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said, "We want to reopen the government. We want to enact a bipartisan spending agreement that actually makes life better for everyday Americans."
- He continued, "It's very unfortunate that Donald Trump and Republicans have decided to weaponize hunger and withhold SNAP benefits."
Go deeper: When your SNAP benefits could become available in November
