Copyright truthout
The Trump administration announced on Monday that it will provide only half of the usual Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in November after money for the program officially ran out on Saturday amid the ongoing government shutdown. More than 42 million Americans, amounting to around 1 in 8 families overall, depend on the program, sometimes known as food stamps, to pay for some or all of their groceries. Due to the shutdown, the White House had announced that it would no longer disperse funds for SNAP benefits to states starting November 1. Several states and nonprofits sued the Trump administration over its decision, arguing that contingency funding could partially fund the program, and that funds from other sources could be reallocated to help make up the difference. Federal Judge Jack McConnell, one of two judges to find the administration had erred in its decision, ordered the White House to take one of two options: fully fund November payments by using contingency funds plus funds from the Child Nutrition Program, or fund just half of benefits for November using the contingency funds alone. After a brief delay in responding to the directive, the Trump administration chose the latter option. Recipients are likely to see delays in their payments, as administrative actions (such as creating statistical tables to guide states to calculate payment rates for recipients) need to be completed before funds can be dispersed. The roughly 50 percent cut in allotments to the program will undoubtedly cause food insecurity for those in need. A family of four in Wisconsin with a household income of $50,000 and a monthly rent of $1,300 per month, for example, will see their benefits drop from $150 per month to $75 this month, amounting to food spending of around $2.50 per day. The SNAP benefits that such a family would receive are well below the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recommendations, which advise that, for a family of four on a “thrifty” budget, spending on food should be around $976.60 per month. Cutting benefits in half leaves these families even further away from that spending goal. Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research and Action Center, called the administration’s decision to fund only half the program an “important first step” but added that it comes “many days late and billions of dollars short” of what is needed. “There is no excuse that justifies the administration delaying the release of benefits and then choosing not to utilize every resource available to provide full benefits to the 42 million people who rely on SNAP to put food on the table,” FitzSimons said in a statement. She went on: The decision to provide only partial benefits forces state agencies to scramble under unclear guidance, which will further delay benefits. It also means that families are missing out on much needed nutrition support. Enough time has already been lost — the funds must be released immediately to avert further harm, chaos and confusion. As the shutdown becomes the longest in U.S. history, polling demonstrates that a majority of Americans fault Republicans for prolonging the crisis by refusing to negotiate with Democrats, who are refusing to pass a continuing resolution bill unless some of the health care funding that was cut by President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act is restored. According to a new NBC News poll, 42 percent of Americans fault Democrats for the shutdown. Meanwhile, a combined 52 percent of Americans blame either Trump, Republicans in Congress, or both for the shutdown continuing into this month.
