Overview
- Two federal judges, John McConnell and Indira Talwani, directed the administration to resume SNAP using contingency funds or issue partial payments this week after USDA planned to withhold disbursements.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government will not appeal and is working to reactivate benefits as soon as Wednesday.
- Contingency reserves are estimated to cover only about 60% of a month’s SNAP benefits, leaving potential shortfalls even if payments restart.
- Roughly 42–43.5 million people rely on SNAP, with states and food banks deploying emergency resources while awaiting federal funds.
- The shutdown has reached day 33 with no deal, leaving about 800,000 federal workers unpaid and contributing to air-traffic controller shortages and flight delays, as retailers warn of revenue hits if benefits lapse.