The approximately 42 million Americans who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are facing further uncertainty in the midst of delayed payments prompted by a lack of available funds during the government shutdown, which has now entered its second month.
The halt of SNAP benefits, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has become a key talking point in the bitter stalemate between Republicans and Democrats. Sen. Elizabeth Warren this week accused President Donald Trump of using “hungry children as a bargaining chip,” mirroring remarks by fellow Democrats, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last month accused Trump of “endangering people’s lives” ahead of the payments halting on Nov. 1.
Trump prompted further concern on Tuesday when he threatened to withhold SNAP benefits until the end of the government shutdown, despite a clear court order mandating that partial benefits be paid by the Administration.
“SNAP benefits… will be given only when the radical left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before,” Trump said via Truth Social.
The President’s message, circulated among his 11 million followers and beyond, stood in direct defiance of a court order from last week.
The Trump Administration has been ordered by two federal judges to fund SNAP during the government shutdown. Massachusetts U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani found on Oct. 31 that the USDA’s suspension of SNAP benefits was unlawful and requested a response from the government on how it would fund such payments by Monday, Nov. 3. Rhode Island judge Jack McConnell on Nov. 1 ordered the government to use emergency contingency funds to pay Americans their SNAP benefits amid, what has now become, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
“There is no question that the congressionally approved contingency funds must be used now because of the shutdown,” said McConnell, who argued that the government should “find the additional funds necessary to fully fund the November SNAP payments,” separate from the money available within the contingency fund.
The White House was quick to walk back Trump’s threat on Tuesday, reiterating that it will adhere to the court order.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Administration “is fully complying with the court order.” When questioned about Trump’s comments suggesting the opposite, Leavitt said “the President does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future, and that is what he was referring to in his Truth Social post.”
Here’s what we do—and don’t—know about the expected SNAP payment plans for November.
How much are SNAP recipients set to receive?
The Trump Administration has agreed to revive SNAP using money from a Department of Agriculture contingency fund, but they will only pay out half the amount participants would typically receive.
According to the most recent USDA data, federal funding for SNAP was $99.8 billion in 2024, with a monthly average of around $8.32 billion across the country for almost 42 million Americans. The USDA estimates that the average recipient received $187.20 a month in 2024, but payment amounts vary depending on household size, disability status, and income.
Patrick Penn, the deputy under secretary for Food Nutrition and Consumer Services, confirmed in a legal filing on Monday that there is $6 billion in the contingency fund—and $4.65 billion of that will be left for November SNAP benefits.
Are some people no longer eligible to receive SNAP?
The revised SNAP guidance also offered details on groups that will no longer be eligible for SNAP payments. These changes were initially laid out in Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which was signed into law on July 4.
Referred to as “Alien groups” by the USDA, people with their deportation orders currently withheld will no longer be eligible, as well as “certain American Indians born abroad” or Hmong or Highland Laotian Tribal Members, unless they are Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR). Refugees are also no longer eligible.
Parolees, who previously would be eligible after a 5-year waiting period, are also no longer eligible to receive SNAP benefits.
When can eligible SNAP recipients expect to receive payments?
States typically differ when it comes to when they deposit their SNAP benefits to recipients, with locations following their own payment calendars.
North Carolina officials, for example, have told the almost 1.4 million SNAP recipients within their state that payments for November could come as early as next week.
“If federal funding is provided this week as expected, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services expects all partial benefits to be loaded onto EBT cards by next week, so beneficiaries should check the balances on their cards often,” the notice read.
The Trump Administration has, however, warned that benefits stand to be significantly delayed across the board.
“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,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “If the government opens, families get their FULL benefit much more quickly.”
During a press conference at the White House on Tuesday, Leavitt echoed Rollins’ warning of untimely delays.
“The recipients of these SNAP benefits need to understand it’s going to take some time to receive this money,” she said.
TIME has reached out to the USDA and the White House for further information.
How are some cities and nonprofits fighting back against SNAP delays and diminished payments?
A federal court hearing is scheduled for Thursday, requested by cities and nonprofits represented by Democracy Forward, a national organization that offers legal support to individuals and communities.
The challengers are pushing for the USDA “to release the unlawfully withheld funding” for SNAP in its entirety in an “emergency relief request” filed against Agriculture Secretary Rollins.
In its request, the group—featuring cities including Albuquerque, Baltimore, Columbus, and Providence—argued “this court should grant a temporary restraining order on the grounds that [the] defendants’ decision not to provide full SNAP benefits is arbitrary and capricious.”
A number of religious-based nonprofit organizations, such as the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, and business organizations including the Service Employees International Union, are part of the plaintiffs.
