Trump Claims Food Stamp Payments Will Stop Until Democrats Reopen Government

Trump’s Statement Sparks Confusion

President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that the United States would not issue any Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the ongoing government shutdown — contradicting a court filing from his own administration the day before.

Trump said the benefits, which help feed roughly 42 million Americans, would only resume once Democrats in Congress agreed to a stopgap funding bill to reopen the government. The White House / Wikimedia

Administration’s Court Filing Promised Partial Payments

On Monday, the Trump administration had informed a Rhode Island federal judge that it would cover about half of November’s SNAP costs using contingency funds. The decision came after U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell ordered the government to distribute benefits “as soon as possible” while exploring whether additional funds could be drawn from other sources. Sora Shimazaki / Pexels

Trump’s Post Blames Democrats and Biden

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote:

“SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden's disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly 'handed' to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”

The post appeared to directly contradict Monday’s filing that affirmed partial payments. Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

White House Defends Compliance with Court Order

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later told reporters that “the administration is fully complying with the court order.” She said she had spoken to Trump about his post, explaining that SNAP recipients might face delays because “the Democrats have forced the administration into a very untenable position.”

Leavitt added, “We are digging into a contingency fund that is supposed to be for emergencies, catastrophes, for war, and the president does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future, and that's what he was referring to in his Truth Social post.” White House / YouTube

USDA Issues Guidance Amid Legal Dispute

Leavitt confirmed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had issued updated guidance to states outlining November benefit disbursements. Meanwhile, plaintiffs in the Rhode Island case argued the administration’s partial-payment decision violated McConnell’s prior order, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.” BruceSchaff, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Court Orders Continued Response

Judge McConnell directed the administration to respond to plaintiffs’ emergency request by Wednesday. The administration had already indicated it would exhaust $4.65 billion in SNAP contingency funds but declined to use an additional $4 billion from the Child Nutrition Program — a move central to the plaintiffs’ challenge. KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA / Pexels

Broader Implications Amid Shutdown

The dispute over SNAP funding has become a major flashpoint in the government shutdown that began on October 1. While past administrations have maintained SNAP payments during shutdowns, Trump’s team said the program would end this week due to lapsed congressional appropriations. Critics argue that the administration’s refusal to use available funds is an attempt to pressure Democrats to reopen the government. Karola G / Pexels