A federal court ruled that the Trump administration must present a plan to start issuing full SNAP payments by Nov. 3 or partial payments by Nov. 5.
The Trump administration is waiting to hear from the courts on funding food stamp benefits for low-income Americans during the ongoing government shutdown, and payments could restart by Nov. 5 per a court order, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Bessent was asked by CNN’s “State of the Union” on Nov. 2 about the recent federal court ruling in Rhode Island that ordered the Trump administration to make full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food aid benefit payments available by Nov. 3 or partial payments by Nov. 5.
When asked whether payments could resume by Nov. 5, he said they “could be.”
He noted that “five Democratic senators could cross the aisle and open the government by [Nov. 5],” saying that that would be “the easiest way to do this.”
Bessent said the Trump administration will not appeal the court ruling.
“[President Donald Trump] needs to hear from the courts how this is going to be done,” Bessent said.
Food stamp payments, which more than 41 million Americans rely on every month to survive, did not go out on Nov. 1 as originally scheduled, as the government shutdown enters its fifth week.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) had warned on Oct. 25 that the well had “run dry” and that no benefits would be issued on Nov. 1.
The agency stated in a memo obtained by The Epoch Times a day before that USDA emergency funds cannot legally be used to keep the SNAP program running if Congress does not vote to pass a funding agreement.
The memo states that the money is used for emergencies such as “hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, that can come on quickly and without notice.”
However, the memo contradicts the USDA’s Sept. 30 “Lapse of Funding Plan” page that has since been deleted from the agency’s website.
“Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown,” the agency’s now-deleted shutdown policy reads.
“These multi-year contingency funds are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year.”
When asked by CNN about the now-deleted “Lapse of Funding Plan” directive, Bessent said Trump is “very anxious to get this done, and it’s got to go through the courts.”
Court Rejects Trump Admin Claims
Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island on Oct. 31 rejected the USDA’s argument that it could not send out SNAP payments during the government shutdown.
“There is no question that the congressionally approved contingency funds must be used now because of the shutdown,” McConnell wrote in the order. “In fact, the President during his first term issued guidance indicating that these contingency funds are available if SNAP funds lapse due to a government shutdown.”
He issued an order on Nov. 1 giving the Trump administration until Nov. 3 to present a plan to pay full benefits on that day or partial benefit payments by Nov. 5.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities President Sharon Parrott, who worked in the Office of Management and Budget from 2016 to 2017, said the Trump administration is legally required to keep SNAP payments flowing during a government shutdown.
“The Administration itself admits these reserves are available for use,” Parrott said in an Oct. 23 statement. “It could have, and should have, taken steps weeks ago to be ready to use these funds.”
In a separate interview on Nov. 2, CNN asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) about the fact that if emergency supplemental funds were used for SNAP, they would likely keep food stamp benefits going for only two to three weeks. CNN asked whether that would cause more Democrats to “rethink the strategy” and ultimately vote for the government funding bill.
“We’re continuing to make life better for the American people,” Jeffries said. “We want to reopen the government. We want to enact a bipartisan spending agreement that actually makes life better for everyday Americans.
“And, of course, we want to make sure that we can decisively address the Republican health care crisis, which is crushing people all across the country.”
Reuters contributed to this report.