President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the United States will suspend all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the ongoing government shutdown, contradicting a federal court order issued a day earlier.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that benefits would resume only if Democrats in Congress agreed to pass a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government.
“SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office… will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” he wrote.
The statement directly conflicted with assurances his administration had given a federal judge on Monday that it would partially fund November benefits for roughly 42 million Americans relying on the program.
Legal clash over SNAP funding
The dispute over SNAP funding has emerged as one of the most contentious issues in the government shutdown that began on October 1.
During a court hearing on Monday, administration lawyers told US District Judge Jack McConnell in Rhode Island that the government would use $4.65 billion from a contingency fund to cover half of November’s benefits.
However, they said they would not tap an additional $4 billion available under the Child Nutrition Program, arguing that it could not be diverted to SNAP.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys challenging the administration’s move argued the decision was both unlawful and harmful.
“The Court should grant a temporary restraining order and preliminary stay on the ground that Defendants’ decision not to provide full SNAP benefits—even though they have funds available to do so and even though switching to partial payments at this late date will cause devastating delay—is arbitrary and capricious,” they said in a filing Tuesday.
Judge McConnell, who previously directed the administration to ensure payments were made “as soon as possible,” ordered the government to respond to the plaintiffs’ request by Wednesday.
Political pressure over food assistance
The Trump administration’s approach marks a break from precedent.
Previous administrations continued disbursing SNAP funds during prior shutdowns by drawing on contingency reserves.
This time, the White House has explicitly tied the program’s continuation to congressional approval of a spending bill, a move seen as an attempt to pressure Democrats to end the funding impasse.
The administration’s decision to withhold over $4 billion in available contingency funds has further inflamed tensions between the executive branch and the courts.
With no resolution in sight, millions of low-income households face growing uncertainty over food assistance as the shutdown enters its second month.
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