Overview
- The USDA says roughly 50% of regular SNAP benefits will be paid in November using about $4.65 billion in contingency funds, far short of the more than $9 billion needed for a full month.
- Partial deposits are expected to reach states around November 5, with beneficiaries able to spend the funds at authorized retailers using their EBT cards.
- A federal judge ordered the government to resume SNAP funding after 25 states and Washington, D.C., sued over the suspension during the shutdown.
- President Donald Trump publicly threatened to withhold benefits until the government reopens, contradicting the court-directed plan to provide partial payments.
- Food banks and local officials are mounting emergency distributions in cities including Los Angeles and Chicago, and existing EBT balances remain usable for nine months with any purchase resetting that period.