Trump administration plan to partially fund SNAP benefits could take months
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USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and President Trump in the Oval Office on June 10. Photo: Ken Cedeno/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Trump administration announced it plans to partially fund SNAP benefits on Monday, after two federal judges ruled on Friday that the funds must be released.
Why it matters: Up to 42 million Americans didn't receive their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on the first of the month, but the administration's new plan aims to make sure some amount of money hits recipients' pocketbooks.
What they're saying: In a filing Monday for Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the government said, "the U.S. Department of Agriculture is complying with the Court's order and will fulfill its obligation to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds today."
- A supplementary declaration noted that the changes states have to implement to roll out reduced benefits could "take anywhere from a few weeks to up to several months."
- The USDA referred Axios to Rollins' Monday evening X post, where she said "FULL benefits can get to families without delay" once the government reopens.
- The White House referred Axios to the Office of Management and Budget for comment. OMB didn't respond to Axios' request for comment.
Reality check: The process of distributing SNAP benefits varies from state to state, and some states' "decades old" systems may slow down the process of doling out the money, according to the declaration.
- "It is unclear how many States will complete the changes in an automated manner with minimal disruption versus manual overrides or computations that could lead to payment errors and significant delays."
What's inside: The administration determined that it can't fund SNAP using Child Nutrition funds, as doing so would wipe out that account.
- Shifting the funding shortfall from SNAP beneficiaries to low-income students who receive free school meals would affect approximately 29 million students, which the administration determined was an "unacceptable risk."
- Instead, November SNAP benefits will be funded by the remaining $4.65 billion in contingency funds, which will cover "50% of eligible households' current allotments."
- States must continue to accept program applications and evaluate if applicants meet eligibility requirements.
Catch up quick: Friday's rulings said the administration's rationale for halting benefits wasn't strong enough to prevent the money from being spent, and both judges asked for a progress report on Monday on the Trump administration's efforts to issue November benefits.
- One judge in Rhode Island said that "irreparable harm will begin to occur" if the administration didn't release the funds in response to a case brought about by a coalition of food banks and other nonprofit organizations.
- And Massachusetts District Judge Indira Talwani directed the administration to provide "at least reduced SNAP benefits for November" in response to a lawsuit filed by 25 Democrat-run states and the District of Columbia.
The intrigue: The legal fights center on the administration's position that it couldn't fund SNAP with contingency money during the government shutdown, even though every previous administration — including Trump's first term — has.
- Democrats accused Trump of "weaponizing hunger" to get the left to acquiesce to Republicans' plan to reopen the government.
Read the court filing here:
Go deeper: When your SNAP benefits could become available in November
