Overview
- President Donald Trump signed a funding bill ending the 43‑day shutdown, restoring SNAP appropriations through the end of fiscal year 2026.
- USDA told agencies the November cut is no longer in effect and directed immediate issuance of full benefits, with the department saying most states should deliver payments within 24 hours and the secretary targeting completion by Monday.
- Timelines vary by state: Oklahoma expects top‑ups within 24–48 hours, Illinois says all recipients will be paid by Nov. 20, Maryland will finalize payments Nov. 18, and Colorado and West Virginia report distributions by the end of this week.
- States are coordinating with a small set of EBT vendors and legacy systems, a bottleneck experts say could stagger releases even with funds available.
- December benefits are expected on schedule, while new reconciliation‑era rules expanding work requirements and narrowing some immigrant eligibility are beginning to take effect, which analysts warn could reduce coverage for millions.