President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the federal government will not speed up Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for November, despite statements from top administration officials earlier this week stating the opposite.
The Trump administration has drawn criticism in recent weeks for placing SNAP benefits at the center of the government shutdown fight, saying the government could not use contingency funds to keep the program afloat starting Saturday.
However, last week, U.S. District Judge John McConnell ordered the administration to fulfill November SNAP payments at least partially. On Monday, Agriculture Department officials said they would allocate more than $4 billion in contingency funds toward SNAP, covering roughly 50% of eligible beneficiaries, in compliance with the order.
However, Trump overruled the USDA in a Tuesday post on Truth Social.
The president said SNAP “increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars” under the Biden administration, “due to the fact that they were haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need.”
November payments “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up the government, which they can easily do, and not before,” he concluded.
Both White House and USDA officials declined to comment on Trump’s post.
LOOMING SNAP DEADLINE AMPS UP SHUTDOWN PRESSURE ON BOTH TRUMP AND DEMOCRATS
Just one hour before Trump’s statement, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the USDA sent SNAP guidance to states and offered “immediate technical assistance” on the contingency fund payments.
“This will be a cumbersome process, including revised eligibility systems, State notification procedures, and ultimately, delayed benefits for weeks, but we will help States navigate those challenges,” she wrote. “Challenges caused by Senate Democrats’ refusal to reopen the government. Another vote is this morning. NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO DO THE RIGHT THING! If the government opens, families get their FULL benefit much more quickly.”