Trump Administration Says It Will Pay Reduced SNAP Benefits For November

The Trump administration said Monday it will pay partial food benefits this month after two federal judges ordered it to do so.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would pay benefits reduced by 50% to the 22 million households enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The agency warned there could be significant delays, however, as states adjust benefit amounts to reflect the reduction. November’s benefits were supposed to go out starting on Saturday.

The USDA previously said it couldn’t tap a contingency fund to pay November’s SNAP benefits during the ongoing shutdown.

In response to lawsuits from nonprofits and Democratic states, judges in two separate federal courts said the agency had misread the law.

“There is no question that the congressionally approved contingency funds must be used now because of the shutdown,” District Judge John McConnell of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island said in a written order Saturday.

The USDA said in court Monday that the fund has enough money “to cover 50% of eligible households’ current allotments” this month, but warned it would be a difficult undertaking.

The agency said it wasn’t clear how many states “will complete the changes in an automated manner with minimal disruption versus manual overrides or computations that could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.