The federal government shutdown, which has now stretched past a month, has put critical services in jeopardy, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. To help fill the gap, individual donors are lending outsized support to hunger relief nonprofits.
The SNAP program, formerly known as food stamps, is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provides basic assistance to about 42 million people. The agency cautioned last month that food aid would be suspended as the shutdown drags on.
In a ruling on Friday, a federal judge in Rhode Island said the Trump administration could not cease paying SNAP benefits.
On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said payments could begin again by Wednesday. In court filings on Monday, the administration also said it would take steps to provide partial benefits using contingency funds.
In the meantime, with hundreds of thousands of federal employees and contract workers furloughed and without pay, the need for SNAP food benefits is only increasing.
