Summary
President Donald Trump stated that he will only provide food assistance through SNAP once the U.S. government shutdown is over. The SNAP program, which helps many Americans with food each month, was in danger of being paused due to the government shutdown. Two court orders have instructed the government to use emergency funds to keep SNAP running.
Key Facts
- President Trump said SNAP benefits will not be fully provided until the government shutdown ends.
- The SNAP program helps one in eight Americans with food assistance each month.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture warned it couldn’t fund SNAP past November 1 if the shutdown continued.
- Federal judges ordered the government to use emergency funds to keep SNAP running.
- The Trump administration agreed to partially fund SNAP with $5 billion in emergency reserves.
- President Trump made a statement that seemed to conflict with his administration's plan to fund SNAP.
- SNAP costs over $8 billion each month, with individuals receiving about $190 monthly on average.
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration is working to comply with the court orders, but it will take time to release SNAP funds.
