MISSOURI (Nov. 3, 2025) — The Trump administration said Monday it will restart payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, but that recipients will receive only half of their usual benefits as the federal government shutdown continues.

Officials said the partial payments will come from a $5 billion contingency fund within the Agriculture Department, which administers SNAP. That amount falls short of the program’s full monthly cost of about $8 billion.

In a court filing, the administration warned that using the fund would “deplete all remaining resources,” leaving “no funds for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely.”

The move follows rulings from two federal judges who determined that halting SNAP payments was unlawful. The administration had until Monday to present its plan to restore funding for the country’s largest anti-hunger program, which provides food aid to about 42 million people.

Officials cautioned that there could be lengthy delays before benefits reach low-income households that depend on SNAP to buy groceries.

About one in eight U.S. residents receives an average of $187 per month through the program, according to the Agriculture Department. Nearly 39% of recipients are children and adolescents under 18.

As the shutdown drags on, volunteers across the country have stepped in to fill the gap. The shutdown, which has left numerous federal agencies shuttered, continues to ripple through communities nationwide.

Paul Barnard Editor

Paul Barnard is the editor of the Twin City News. Barnard Graduated from Norwich University, America's oldest private military college, with a B.S. in Communications and Media Technology. There he studied journalism and marketing. For years after, Barnard was in law enforcement and gained experience in the Special Investigations Unit and publishing all the department's press releases. As Barnard's family grew, he moved on to start Twin City News.

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