Trump States SNAP Will Only Be Funded Once Democrats Help End Shutdown

President Donald Trump announced that lapsed food aid benefits will only be resumed after the government shutdown comes to an end, the president announced on Tuesday.

The move comes after two recent court orders requiring the president’s administration to use a contingency fund previously earmarked to keep Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits afloat, which, in late October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would not be using, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday, “SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office…will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified the president’s position at a Tuesday press conference, stating that the administration is “fully complying” with the court orders.

“The recipients of these SNAP benefits need to understand it’s going to take some time to receive this money, because the Democrats have forced the administration into a very untenable position,” Leavitt said. “We are digging into a contingency fund that is supposed to be for emergencies, catastrophes, for war, and the president does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future, and that’s what he was referring to in his Truth Social post.”

Leavitt added that USDA on Tuesday “put out guidance to states … on how to get that money to the recipients of SNAP but it’s going to take some time. The best way to get the full amount of SNAP benefits to those beneficiaries is for Democrats to reopen the government.”

USDA on Monday reportedly agreed to provide partial payments to keep SNAP funded.

A Rhode Island-based federal court on Saturday ordered Trump to “make full food aid benefit payments by Monday, or partial payments by Wednesday,” according to Reuters. 

“There is no doubt that the … contingency funds are appropriated funds that are without a doubt necessary to carry out the program’s operation.” Rhode Island US District Judge John McConnell said of the case, according to CNN. “The shutdown of the government through funding doesn’t do away with SNAP, it just does away with the funding of it.”

“I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” The president wrote on Oct. 31 on Truth Social. “Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”

Providing food assistance to nearly 42 million Americans, the USDA’s Lapse of Funding Plan initially protected SNAP benefits during the shutdown. However, a late October memo from the USDA — not seen by the public — reversed the agency’s position and withheld the funds. Democrats argue that the president has an obligation to use this fund.

MIAMI, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 30: Carts full of groceries wait to be given to people in need at Curley’s House Food Bank days before the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may expire due to the Federal government shutdown on October 30, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“[T]here is a bona fide need to obligate benefits for October – the first month of the fiscal year – during or prior to the month of September, thereby guaranteeing that benefit funds are available for program operations even in the event of a government shutdown at the beginning of a fiscal year,” The USDA’s Lapse of Funding Plan stated prior to the onset of the shutdown.

This position, however, was reversed when a USDA memo seen by Reuters argued that the contingency fund was not available to support SNAP during the shutdown. 

“SNAP contingency funds are only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits,” the memo said, according to Reuters. “The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists.”

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