Trump administration to partially fund SNAP after court rulings

After two judges ordered the government to continue the nation’s largest food aid program during the federal shutdown, the Trump administration said Monday it will partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for November, according to reporting by the Associated Press. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will use $4.65 billion from an emergency fund, enough to cover about half of normal benefits.

The agency had planned to freeze payments starting Nov. 1. The program serves about one in eight Americans and costs more than $8 billion per month. Officials said it could take weeks for states to distribute reduced benefits. The administration also added $450 million to the Women, Infants, and Children program to help low-income mothers buy food. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer urged the USDA to fully fund SNAP, calling partial payments “unacceptable.”