Trump administration will use SNAP contingency fund to pay partial food stamp benefits

USDA to Provide Partial November SNAP Benefits During Government Shutdown

Washington— The U.S. Department of Agriculture has informed a federal court that it will utilize a contingency fund to enable states to distribute partial November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid the government shutdown.

In a declaration submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, Patrick Penn, an official at the Department of Agriculture overseeing the SNAP program, stated that the administration “intends to deplete SNAP contingency funds completely and provide reduced SNAP benefits for November 2025.”

Penn mentioned that there are approximately $5.2 billion in food-aid contingency funds, but covering November benefits entirely would require around $9 billion.

Justice Department lawyers also informed the court that the administration will fulfill its duty to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds by providing states with necessary information on Monday to calculate benefits for each eligible household.

This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.