White House to Deliver Only Half SNAP Benefits as Shutdown Drags on

What’s happening

• Partial payouts only. USDA says it will empty about $4.65B in SNAP contingency funds — enough to load half the usual benefits. Officials warn the move could leave no cushion for new November applicants or disaster aid, and some states may need time to retool systems before money hits EBT cards.

• No “Section 32” bailout for SNAP. The administration declined to use customs-revenue funds typically earmarked for child nutrition programs (school meals, summer food) — the account it used to keep WIC afloat — arguing that pulling ~$4B for SNAP would blow a hole in school meal funding for ~29 million kids.

• Courts forced the hand. Two federal judges ruled the government couldn’t freeze SNAP during the shutdown and gave USDA a choice: full funding via additional sources, or partial funding via the contingency account. The administration chose partial.

SNAP averages roughly $8B a month nationwide (about $190 per person), and many households load benefits early in the month. Even with the legal green light, states say reprogramming for partial amounts could cause delays or errors, meaning some families may see gaps at the grocery checkout.

To avoid a cliff for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the White House shifted another $450M in customs revenue, extending WIC benefits after an earlier October transfer. Advocates say these stop-start fixes strain clinics, shorten hours, and delay services like breastfeeding support and recertifications.

Voices & politics

• Advocates: Democracy Forward says it’s weighing next steps to push for full SNAP payments, calling it “essential nutrition” Congress intended to provide.

• Administration: Officials argue diverting school-meal funds to SNAP would “shift the problem” to children who rely on free and reduced-price meals.

• On the Hill: Democrats accuse the White House of “weaponizing hunger.” The shutdown hit Day 34 on Monday, with no deal in sight.

Where things stand

• Food stamps: Only partial SNAP benefits this month; the administration refused to tap additional funds that could have made families whole.

• Crypto pardon: Trump downplayed ties to pardoned crypto billionaire Changpeng Zhao, saying on “60 Minutes,” “I don’t know who he is,” despite a Trump-family crypto venture previously striking a deal with Zhao’s exchange.

• Oregon ruling: A judge extended her order blocking deployment of National Guard troops to Portland and signaled she may keep them out for good.

What to watch next

• Timing: When states finish reconfiguring systems to push out the reduced benefits.

• Courts: Whether judges press the administration again to find full funding.

• Congress: Any movement on a funding deal that restores full SNAP and ends the shutdown.

Families on SNAP should prepare for smaller — and possibly later — November benefits, while school meal programs and WIC stay afloat for now thanks to short-term budget maneuvers.