How politics is putting SNAP and families at risk
SNAP, America’s food safety net, has become a bargaining chip in the Washington standoff. Reporter Sarah D. Wire explains what’s at stake.
The U.S. Senate reached a tentative agreement on November 9 to reopen the federal government and provide funding for multiple agencies and programs, including food assistance and veterans benefits.
The agreement reached with a group of Senate Democrats would reopen government agencies until January 30th. Also included is a three-bill minibus spending package that provides funding to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects through the end of fiscal year 2026.
Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will continue at the higher level through September 2026. SNAP has emerged as a critical flashpoint in the longest government shutdown in history, which entered its 40th day on November 9th.
SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, expired in early November for the first time in the program’s 60-year history due to the government shutdown. States, cities and nonprofit organizations are suing the Trump administration for full SNAP benefits after the administration announced in October that benefits would no longer be distributed in November.
The Supreme Court confirmed late on November 7 that the government would continue to withhold about $4 billion in funds. SNAP benefits cost approximately $8 billion to $9 billion per month.
The dispute finally ended in the Supreme Court after the government filed a second appeal on Nov. 7, with a federal judge ordering the program to be fully funded by the end of the day. U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island accused the government of playing politics with the lives of 42 million Americans who rely on food stamps.
The majority of recipients are very low-income households with children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Many stores are turning to already strained food stocks, and grocers are growing concerned about SNAP disruptions, causing a drop in sales.
Contributor: Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY. Reuters
