Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for 42 million Americans, including 1 in 10 education support professionals, lapsed on Nov. 1—the same day draconian cuts and changes in SNAP, a centerpiece of the GOP’s reconciliation bill, began kicking in.
When SNAP funding ran short due to the shutdown—now the longest in U.S. history—the Trump administration claimed it did not have legal authority to tap a fund created to pay benefits during emergencies. A federal judge ruled that USDA could tap the fund as well as tariff receipts used to continue the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) during the shutdown.
In response, the administration announced that it would do the bare minimum: partially fund benefits for the month of November. That hasn’t happened, as the administration continues to slow-walk the process.
In a second ruling issued last Thursday, the judge ordered the immediate, full payment of SNAP benefits. “Faced with a choice between advancing relief and entrenching delay, [USDA] chose the latter—an outcome that predictably magnifies harm and undermines the very purpose of the program it administers,” the judge wrote. “Such conduct is more than poor judgment; it is arbitrary and capricious.”
The administration filed an appeal on Friday, leaving SNAP recipients in limbo. At best, most will get less than the usual amount, and many could get nothing at all. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) crunched the numbers and found, the New York Times reported, “For nearly 1.2 million households, or almost five million people, the changes may result in benefits of $0 in November.”
Nov. 1 was also the day the reconciliation bill required states to begin implementing expanded SNAP work requirements that will further shrink the program. What that eventually looks like will vary by state. Once the changes are fully implemented, approximately 4 million people will lose some or all of their SNAP benefits during a typical month, according to CBPP.
Our most vulnerable are being hurt by the administration’s actions. Tell Congress what you think!
In Solidarity,
Kimberly Johnson Trinca
National Education Association
As the federal government shutdown continues, Congress must urge the Trump administration to fund the program that helps working families put food on the table.
