The US Department of Agriculture will provide half of normal food assistance in November rather than suspend the program entirely, according to a court filing Monday responding to federal judges’ orders during the ongoing government shutdown.
The agency will distribute $4.65 billion in contingency funds, which will cover half of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for approximately 42 million recipients, according to the filing.
The move follows orders Friday from US District Judges Indira Talwani in Massachusetts and John McConnell in Rhode Island, who rejected the Trump administration’s argument that contingency funds were legally unavailable during the shutdown. Both judges ruled the agency must use previously appropriated reserves and reduce benefits if necessary, not halt the program entirely. McConnell ordered that payments must not be delayed beyond Wednesday.
In its filing Monday, the USDA said it considered diverting $4 billion from child nutrition programs to provide full benefits but rejected that option, citing risks to school meal programs serving 29 million children daily.
The cuts stem from the government shutdown, which has lasted 34 days since lawmakers missed the October 1 deadline to approve new spending. The impasse centers on a dispute over Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies—Democrats want to renew them while Republicans oppose doing so.
