The Trump administration has reportedly ordered states to “immediately undo” any and all efforts to supply low-income households with full meals stamp advantages ― the most recent motion by the White Home to block hungry Individuals from accessing meals assist through the ongoing authorities shutdown.
States who don’t instantly observe the order will face monetary penalties from the federal authorities, in accordance with an Agriculture Division (USDA) memo despatched late Saturday night time. The memo was first reported on by The New York Instances.
A spokesperson for the USDA didn’t instantly reply to HuffPost’s request for remark.
President Donald Trump and his allies have thrown the Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) into chaos, refusing to totally fund it till lawmakers finish the longest authorities shutdown in U.S. historical past. About 42 million individuals depend on SNAP, which is funded by the federal authorities however principally managed by states.
After Democrats and a few nonprofits sued the administration over SNAP, a courtroom ordered the USDA to not less than pay partial advantages utilizing an present contingency fund. On Thursday, the courtroom escalated the order by requiring the USDA to pay full advantages for this month through the use of extra obtainable funds. A number of states seized the second to urgently get meals assist out to residents susceptible to starvation.
The Justice Division then appealed the choice to the Supreme Court docket, which issued an emergency order that quickly blocks full SNAP funds pending assessment.
Mario Tama through Getty Photographs
Individuals who use SNAP usually pay for meals utilizing an digital profit switch system (EBT) card. States get meals advantages out to residents by sending information to EBT processors that then make the funds obtainable on recipients’ playing cards.
The USDA memo from Saturday night time ordered states to solely ship information for “partial” advantages as a substitute of full advantages, warning they may lose entry to SNAP-related federal funding in the event that they didn’t comply ― even when states already started doling out full advantages to feed individuals.
“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” the memo, written by prime USDA official Patrick Penn, learn. “Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.”
Democratic lawmakers have already begun slamming the administration over the transfer, with Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) calling the president “soulless” whereas Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) mentioned, “The cruelty is the point.”
“Trump’s USDA would rather go door to door, taking away the food assistance people have already received, than do the right thing and fully fund SNAP for November so that struggling seniors and children can eat,” Home Agriculture Democrats posted on X. “It is incomprehensible and inconsistent with American values.”
