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- Trump said he will withhold food stamps until government reopens, affecting 42 million Americans.
- This comes after cases in Rhode Island and Massachusetts demanding SNAP funding during the shutdown.
- The administration previously said it would pay partial November benefits.
President Donald Trump said he will withhold November food stamps until the government reopens.
"SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden's disastrous term in office. (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly 'handed' to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before! " the president wrote in a Tuesday morning Truth Social post.
Trump's announcement comes alongside rulings from federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts calling on the administration to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which 42 million Americans rely on to afford groceries each month.
In a November 3 court filing, the US Department of Agriculture said it "is complying with the Court's order and will fulfill its obligation to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds." The USDA said it has authorized states to begin dispersing benefits to eligible households, and it "intends to deplete SNAP contingency funds completely and provide reduced SNAP benefits for November."
This would cover 50% of eligible households' current food stamp allotments, the administration said. The money would be pulled from government emergency funds.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins wrote in an X post on Tuesday that "USDA sent SNAP guidance to States. My team stands by to offer immediate technical assistance." She continued that "If the government opens, families get their FULL benefit much more quickly," but did not say the administration will withhold funds.
Democracy Forward, a policy and legal advocacy group and plaintiff in the Rhode Island case, told Business Insider that they filed a motion Tuesday to compel the Trump administration to disperse benefits as soon as possible in accordance with the court orders.
Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island has told the administration it must respond by end of day tomorrow and set a new hearing for Thursday, November 6, Democracy Forward said.
"The Trump-Vance administration continues to play politics with people's lives through failing to ensure SNAP payments are expeditiously available," Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward," said. "This is immoral and unlawful. The political posturing should stop now. The administration needs to fully fund SNAP benefits so people can eat, today."
SNAP funding was set to run out this month after the government shut down
SNAP benefits were set to run out on November 1 after their typical funding sources lapsed. Patrick A. Penn, deputy undersecretary for US Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, said in a letter to state leaders on October 24 that the Agriculture Department is "suspending all November 2025 benefit allotments until such time as sufficient federal funding is provided, or until FNS directs State agencies otherwise."
In documents seen by Business Insider, the US Department of Agriculture previously said it has money held in contingency funds to be used in case of emergency, but that those funds cannot be used for SNAP. Monday's court filing means that the Trump administration would have had to use these funds to pay for SNAP until the government reopens.
"This means that no funds will remain for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely," the administration said in the November 3 filing.
Tuesday's Truth Social post is a pivot from Trump's previous stance on SNAP. In a post on October 31, after the judges' rulings, the president wrote that "I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible."
It's unclear if Trump can use executive power to halt SNAP during the shutdown, especially with two cases pending in federal court.
The US Department of Agriculture and White House did not immediately respond for comment.
This is a developing story.
