Overview
- Federal judges ordered continued SNAP funding after lawsuits by attorneys general from roughly two dozen states, prompting the administration to authorize reduced payments.
- USDA says the contingency fund holds about $4.65 billion, enough to cover roughly half of a normal month’s benefits for the program’s 42 million recipients.
- The department declined to use Section 32 Child Nutrition funds for SNAP, citing statutory limits and the need to protect school and child-feeding programs.
- States are being notified how to calculate partial allotments, but agencies in places like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania say amounts and loading dates remain uncertain and could take weeks.
- Food banks from Pittsburgh to Tampa Bay, Iowa, Rhode Island, Georgia, Alabama and Indiana report surging demand and emergency drives, with officials warning that limited reserves and an ongoing shutdown could extend disruptions into December.