The Trump administration announced Monday it will pump $4.65 billion in emergency funds into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), ensuring that millions of families continue to receive at least part of their food aid despite the government shutdown.
The move comes after federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ordered the government to use available funds to keep the nation’s largest nutrition program running. The White House responded fast — saying the president made it clear he wouldn’t let politics get in the way of feeding American families.
“It will be my honor to provide the funding,” Trump wrote on social media Friday night. “I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and reopen the government.”
The $4.65 billion allocation will cover about half of the normal monthly SNAP benefit levels for all 42 million recipients, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Officials said they worked around the clock to comply with the court’s order while protecting other vital child-nutrition programs.
“Creating a shortfall in child nutrition programs to fund one month of SNAP benefits would simply move the problem,” said Patrick Penn, a top USDA official.
Still, some recipients could see delays as states process the reduced benefits — a task that can take weeks in some areas.
SNAP, which costs roughly $8 billion a month, serves one in eight Americans. Monday’s move prevents an immediate gap in benefits and signals that Trump intends to keep the program alive while Congress fights over a deal to reopen the government.
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