The Department of Agriculture in the United States announced in guidance issued to states on Wednesday, November 5, that SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), commonly known as food stamps, beneficiaries can receive up to 65% of the benefits that were distributed before the government shutdown in November.
There is currently no specific schedule announced for the distribution.
Under the new regulations, a household of four can receive a maximum of $646 in November, while a single individual can receive up to $193.
In a typical month, SNAP beneficiaries receive an average of about $6 in food assistance per day.
On Tuesday, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to fully pay SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, enforcing the decision.
On Monday, the Department of Agriculture had stated that it could only pay half of the November SNAP benefits.
On October 31, two federal judges ordered the Department of Agriculture to use emergency funds to maintain SNAP payments. Previously, the Department of Agriculture had stated that due to the government shutdown, they could not legally use the emergency funds.
In November, Rhode Island used its emergency funds to provide SNAP families with children 25% of their usual benefits amount.
Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, in an interview with Fox News on November 2, mentioned that SNAP suffers from “serious corruption and fraud issues,” with investigations revealing thousands of cases of illegal claims and dozens of arrests.
She pointed out that on her first day in office, she requested all 50 states in the US to submit lists of SNAP beneficiaries to verify if there were undocumented immigrants fraudulently receiving benefits. However, only 29 states complied, with 21 states governed by Democrats refusing to provide the information.
She revealed that among the states cooperating with the investigation, the Department of Agriculture identified thousands of cases of misuse, including instances where deceased individuals were still listed as beneficiaries. She criticized SNAP for becoming a “broken and corrupt system,” stating that if benefits were to stop, “undocumented immigrants will be forced to return to their home countries,” which could potentially alter population distribution and affect the redrawing of congressional districts.
(This article was adapted from a report by “USA Today”)