Trump Admin Agrees to Allot Partial SNAP Funding, Expects Delays

The Trump administration agreed to use $4.65 billion in US Department of Agriculture (USDA) contingency funds for partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the ongoing government shutdown.

The Details: The allotted money is set to cover about half of the 42 million recipients’ benefits for one month, as SNAP is estimated to cost about $9 billion every month. The USDA will not tap into other funds or cover any new applicants, according to the department. Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) at the USDA, said properly allotting the funding “will [likely] take anywhere from a few weeks to up to several months” for at least some states. US District Judge John McConnell (RI) suggested using other allotted funds for SNAP, such as that of the Section 32 Child Nutrition Fund. But Penn argued, “Using billions of dollars from Child Nutrition for SNAP would leave an unprecedented gap in Child Nutrition funding.”

For Context: McConnell and US District Judge Indira Talwani (MA) ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must fund SNAP, also known as food stamps, after the USDA said it would not tap into the roughly five billion in contingency funds allotted for disaster relief. Monday (Nov. 3) was the deadline for the administration to release a funding plan.

How The Media Covered It: News media on the left were quicker to highlight the restrictions and potential delays in funding. ABC News (Lean Left bias) also quoted Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who said, “It is not enough to do the bare minimum – the administration should stop playing politics with hunger and use all available resources to ensure Americans can put food on the table.” The Hill (Center) stated, “The SNAP lapse has become one of the most visible signs of the government shutdown as it approaches its sixth week,” and Washington Examiner (Lean Right) said there’s “no sign of lawmakers in either party coming together to pass a funding bill anytime soon.”

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