Overview
- Federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts compelled the administration to use contingency funds, and USDA guidance sets November benefits at up to 50% of current allotments with some households receiving less or none.
- USDA says about $4.65 billion is available versus roughly $9 billion typically needed, prompting unprecedented partial distributions and complex state-by-state implementation.
- North Carolina and Massachusetts expect partial payments to post next week, Missouri is preparing a schedule, Arizona and Ohio have no dates yet, and Texas officials say they are awaiting detailed federal direction.
- Pennsylvania warned that USDA’s method requires about 10,000 hours of system work to recalculate benefits, urging a simpler one-time 50% payment to speed relief and reduce errors.
- Delaware launched a state-run stopgap issuing weekly payments equal to 25% of normal monthly SNAP, and cities and food banks from Philadelphia to Houston report surging demand they say they cannot fully cover.