The Trump administration announced today, November 3, that it will provide only partial food stamp benefits for November, tapping into an emergency fund within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The decision to fund only a portion of the aid follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) previously warning it would freeze all payments starting November 1 because of the shutdown.

The contingency fund the administration is now utilizing holds approximately $4.65 billion. This amount is enough to cover only about 50% of the program’s total cost for November, which runs roughly $9 billion. An official stated the agency is obligated to cover 50% of eligible households’ current allotments.

In a sworn statement and court papers, the administration confirmed it decided against pulling funds from other sources to provide full benefits, citing the need to ensure funds remain available for other critical programs, such as child nutrition.

The move to release partial funding came directly after a federal judge in Rhode Island—supported by similar rulings in other states—ordered the USDA last week to start providing either full or partial benefits, requiring the use of the SNAP contingency fund.
 

The partial payments, though secured, will not be distributed immediately. The administration’s choice to provide reduced amounts means states must now re-calculate benefits, a process that could delay the money from reaching the nearly 42 million Americans who rely on the program to buy groceries.

The exhaustion of this emergency fund raises immediate concerns about how SNAP benefits will be paid in December if the government shutdown continues.