{"id":76968,"date":"2025-11-04T15:15:28","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T23:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=76968"},"modified":"2025-11-04T15:15:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T23:15:28","slug":"trump-states-he-will-not-fund-snap-until-shutdown-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=76968","title":{"rendered":"Trump States He Will Not Fund SNAP Until Shutdown Ends"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_65 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_65\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/author\/sunita\/\">Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_66 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_66\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2025-11-04T13:15:51-08:00\">Nov 4, 2025<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_67 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_67\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>42 million Americans, including children, the disabled, and veterans, will go hungry this month as the battle over a critical food assistance program continues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_68 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_68\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2\" title=\"Food bank joel muniz\" src=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Food-bank-joel-muniz-scaled-e1762290552253.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" \/><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">(Joel Muniz photo via Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_69 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_69\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Despite court orders stating the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program must be immediately funded, President Donald Trump said Nov. 4 he would withhold funds until the federal government shutdown ends.<\/p>\n<p>SNAP is a critical food assistance program, supporting 42 million low-income people in the US, including 16 million children, 8 million older adults, and 4 million people with disabilities. More than 1.2 million veterans also use SNAP benefits.<\/p>\n<p>The Administration has repeatedly claimed \u2014 falsely \u2014 that SNAP benefits are used by undocumented immigrants. The \u201cOne, Big, Beautiful Bill,\u201d which was voted into law earlier this year, cuts $187 billion from the SNAP budget over the next decade.<\/p>\n<p>The White House had not issued a statement on the matter, as of Nov. 4 mid-morning. But, in an early morning post on the Truth Social platform, Trump stated that the SNAP program had been overfunded by the previous administration. \u201cThey were haphazardly handed to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP,\u201d wrote the President.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=AmCommMedia&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1985748252205953116&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Famericancommunitymedia.org%2Fhealth-care%2Ftrump-states-he-will-not-fund-snap-until-shutdown-ends%2F&amp;sessionId=3e36782ba867ef3bc2a6c77068e79577fbc7b6bf&amp;siteScreenName=AmCommMedia&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1985748252205953116\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-courts-rule-snap-must-be-funded\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Courts Rule SNAP Must Be Funded<\/h2>\n<p>Funds for several federal programs were halted as the government shutdown began Oct. 1. SNAP funding had already been distributed for October as the shutdown began. But benefits were not distributed Nov. 1, even as two federal court judges ruled a day earlier that a $5.5 billion contingency fund must be deployed to provide at least partial benefits for the month. 25 states, including California, have sued the federal government to use contingency funds: they have stated they cannot backfill the federal government\u2019s cuts to SNAP.<\/p>\n<p>Judge John McConnell Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, ruled that full benefits must be delivered Nov. 3, or partial benefits could be made on Nov. 5, using the contingency reserve funds. Full funding of the program \u2014 which provides an average of $187 per month to individuals \u2014 costs roughly $8 billion per month.<\/p>\n<p>The USDA, which oversees the program, issued a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.rid.60750\/gov.uscourts.rid.60750.21.1.pdf\">response<\/a>\u00a0Nov. 3, stating that the \u201cemergency\u201d funds were not meant to be deployed in this manner, and furthermore, could not be distributed speedily.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-politics-over-people\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Politics Over People\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>At an American Community Media\/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation news briefing Oct. 31 \u2014 which was held as Judge McConnell and Massachusetts District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued their rulings \u2014 experts discussed the impacts of losing SNAP benefits this month, as well as the longer term impacts of a greatly-reduced budget for the program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSNAP is our nation\u2019s largest anti-hunger program dating back to the Great Depression, and it has never been disrupted this way,\u201d said Jamie Bussell, Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis crisis that we\u2019re talking about today is not happening because Congress doesn\u2019t have the money, but because our policymakers are choosing to prioritize politics over people instead of feeding people. And it\u2019s our families, our children, our seniors, our grandparents, our veterans that are caught in this political gridlock,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-food-banks-cannot-fill-gap\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Food Banks Cannot Fill Gap<\/h2>\n<p>Bussel added that food banks cannot fill in for the shortfall. For every meal a food bank is able to provide, the SNAP program provides nine.<\/p>\n<p>She urged people to support families in need, by being a \u201cgrocery buddy,\u201d supporting a food bank, or a farm harvest share. \u201cWe have really crossed the point of absurdity. We\u2019re better than this. Children, families, and communities across the nation are counting on our policymakers. They need to deliver on their promises and truly be accountable to the individuals and families that they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one in this country should ever go hungry. Every family should be able to comfortably afford and access the food that they need to thrive. Access to healthy, affordable food should be a fundamental basic human right,\u201d said Bussel.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-impact-to-children\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact to Children<\/h2>\n<p>One out of 5 children in the US use the SNAP program. If a family qualifies for SNAP, children immediately qualify for free school lunches and summer nutrition programs. Gina Plata Nino, interim director for SNAP at the Food Research &amp; Action Center, said children are unable to take care of themselves and rely on parents, who are often working two or more jobs to put food on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cParents are asking themselves right now: \u2018Do I pay rent or do I pay for food? Do I pay for child care or do I pay for food? Do I utilize my credit card if I still have any credit cards left? Because people have been utilizing their credit cards just to pay basic needs.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo this just adds to a terrible time, particularly where food costs three times more than it did this time last year. It changes the ecosystem for children, who are asking, \u2018Mommy, why are you crying? Daddy, how come you\u2019re not eating enough? How come we don\u2019t have apples those weeks?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Plata-Nino noted that parents cannot make their children understand: \u201cThe government thinks I am a political chess piece and it\u2019s not prioritizing me.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-ice-raids-at-food-banks\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">ICE Raids at Food Banks<\/h2>\n<p>Eric Valladares, executive director of Family Connections, which provides early childhood education, family education, and mental health services to immigrant families in San Mateo County, California, said at the briefing that the clients his organization serves are currently struggling with several crises, including food insecurity.<\/p>\n<p>Families are staying away from food banks and pantries because of fears of immigration raids, said Valladares. Family Connections volunteers have stepped in and gone to pantries to collect food for client families, he added.<\/p>\n<p>Fear of invoking the public charge rule \u2014 which could deny a visa or green card to people deemed to de dependent on the US government for their well-being \u2014 has kept many families from availing of benefits to which they are entitled, noted Valladares. There are also concerns about personal information being shared with immigration authorities, a well-founded concern as the Health and Human Services Department has mandated states to find\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/immigration\/states-ordered-to-help-find-undocumented-immigrants-via-medicaid-programs\/\">undocumented immigrants enrolled in Medicaid<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-heartbreaking\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Heartbreaking\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWhat we\u2019re navigating right now and what we\u2019re seeing from our families, it\u2019s really undermining family stability. It\u2019s undermining children\u2019s healthy development and the long-term well-being of our community,\u201d said Valladares. He added that Family Connections is bolstering case management and home visiting services to provide one-on-one support to families in crisis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be this hard for our families. Our families deserve better. It\u2019s heartbreaking. It\u2019s infuriating. As a child of immigrants, it\u2019s personal to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-long-term-snap-budget-cuts\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Long-Term SNAP Budget Cuts<\/h2>\n<p>Joseph Llobrera, Senior Director of Research and Food Assistance at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, discussed the impact of $187 billion being cut out of SNAP\u2019s budget over the next decade. The 20% cut is the largest ever in the history of the program, which was created in 1964, during the late President Lyndon Johnson\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n<p>CBPP estimates that nationally, about 4 million people, including 1 million children, will lose all or a substantial amount of food assistance as the budget cuts take full effect in the next few years. Llobrera explained that the new law slashes federal funding for states\u2019 SNAP programs, forcing unaffordable costs on them. This will result in deep cuts or even some states ending SNAP entirely, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStates would be faced with large and volatile costs and will struggle to absorb these new costs. Most states will face costs between 5% to 15% of total benefit costs. Just to give you a sense of how large those are, for California, a 5% match amounts to $600 million a year. At a 15% match, that would amount to $1.8 billion a year,\u201d said Llobrera.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-new-work-requirements\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Work Requirements<\/h2>\n<p>Beginning in 2026, the SNAP program will impose new work requirements on recipients. More than 55% of people currently receiving SNAP do work, but are underpaid. \u201cThe new law puts millions more at risk of losing benefits. Parents and caregivers with older children in the household and older adults aged 55 to 64 have to meet this work requirement,\u201d said Llobrera.<\/p>\n<p>Veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and those who have aged out of foster care \u2014 who were previously exempt from work requirements \u2014 will now have to show proof of employment in order to avail of SNAP, as well as Medicaid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn California alone, we estimate that hundreds of thousands of people will be at risk of losing some amount of SNAP due to the expansion of work requirements,\u201d said Llobrera.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-lawful-immigrants-denied-food-aid\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lawful Immigrants Denied Food Aid<\/h2>\n<p>The new law also denies food assistance to many people who are immigrants living lawfully in the United States who have been granted humanitarian protections by the US government, said Llobrera, explaining this would impact refugees, people granted asylum, certain survivors of domestic violence, and certain victims of sex or labor trafficking. He reiterated that undocumented immigrants have never been eligible for SNAP.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt a time when families should be coming together around the table this November, the Trump administration is choosing to take food off of the table. Families should not go hungry because of that choice,\u201d said Llobrera. \u201cI\u2019m hoping with the court rulings that the USDA will move quickly to minimize the disruption that families will experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySunita Sohrabji Nov 4, 2025 42&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76968"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76969,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76968\/revisions\/76969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}