Overview
- Roughly 42 million people did not receive their usual Nov. 1 SNAP deposits after federal funding lapsed during the shutdown.
- A Rhode Island federal judge ordered the government to tap contingency reserves and either pay full benefits by Monday or make partial payments by Wednesday, with a plan due by midday Monday.
- The court noted the contingency pot—about $5–6 billion—falls short of the roughly $8–9 billion needed for a month of SNAP, and suggested evaluating additional available funds.
- President Trump said lawyers are seeking clarification on how to legally release funds, and federal officials warned that state systems could take days or longer to load benefits even if money is released.
- States and communities rolled out stopgaps, including Virginia’s state-funded VENA benefits starting Monday and a New York City public‑private drive to bolster food banks, as pantries from California to Arizona, Ohio, Kentucky and New York reported surging demand.