President Donald Trump said Tuesday that federal food benefits won’t be distributed until after Democrats agree to reopen the government.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”
Trump’s announcement is a shocking reversal from Monday, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, said it would abide by court orders to pay at least partial benefits by tapping a contingency fund.
The USDA said in a court filing that it “intends to deplete SNAP contingency funds completely and provide reduced SNAP benefits for November 2025.”
More than 22 million American households, containing approximately 42 million people, receive SNAP benefits each month, averaging around $350 per household, which can be used to purchase food at grocery stores.
