Washington, D.C. — As the Trump administration continues to extend the government shutdown, a new column from the Center for American Progress explains that the administration has both the financial tools and the legal obligation to continue funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the 42 million Americans who rely on it.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins recently claimed that SNAP benefits would “run out” in November due to the shutdown, instructing states to pause November payments. But the USDA has billions of dollars in contingency funds available, and federal law requires the agency to use those funds to continue food assistance.
“The USDA has the money and the authority to pay SNAP benefits now,” said Lily Roberts, managing director for Inclusive Growth at CAP and co-author of the analysis. “Choosing not to act would be both cruel and unlawful. The administration can and must act to prevent millions of families from losing food assistance right before the holidays.”
According to the USDA’s own Lapse of Funding Plan, the department holds between $5 and $6 billion in contingency funds that can be used to sustain SNAP during a lapse in appropriations—covering the majority of the roughly $8 billion needed to pay November benefits. To help work at the remainder, the administration could transfer funds from the State Child Nutrition Programs account, as it has already done for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.
SNAP supports 1 in 8 Americans, including millions of children, seniors, and people with disabilities. The program not only keeps families fed but also sustains local economies, especially in rural areas where households are 20 percent more likely to rely on SNAP.
Read the full analysis: “The Trump Administration Has the Power and Legal Obligation To Pay SNAP Benefits During the Shutdown“ by Lily Roberts, Kyle Ross, and Bobby Kogan.
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Christian Unkenholz at [email protected].