President Donald Trump would support legislation from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) that funds Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits beyond Nov. 1 as the government shutdown continues, said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“Yes, the administration would absolutely support that legislation. We hope that it would come over the finish line,” Leavitt said Thursday when asked about Trump’s support of Hawley’s bill. “But the bill that will get everyone paid and put everyone back to work is the clean continuing resolution. That’s what the president and Republicans want too.”
Hawley’s Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025 is being discussed on Capitol Hill this week after the Department of Agriculture warned that SNAP’s funding will soon run out. At least 25 states have also warned that constituents could lose access to food aid on Nov. 1. Local food banks say they will be unable to meet demand for food assistance without federal funds.
Leavitt did not elaborate on whether the Trump administration would use other funding to help pay for SNAP benefits, similar to how it invested $300 million from tariff revenue to pay for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children program during the shutdown.
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The White House has repeatedly accused Democrats of causing millions of Americans pain by not reopening the federal government, which Leavitt continued on Thursday during her press briefing.
“Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, which provides food benefits to low-income families, is beginning to lapse this week in some states,” Leavitt said in opening remarks of the briefing. “If Democrats continue to hold Americans hostage, there will not be enough funds to provide SNAP benefits for more than 40 million Americans on Nov. 1 — that is next week. Democrats are solely responsible for all of this unnecessary pain.”