On Oct. 1, the U.S. government began what became the longest shutdown in the nation’s history. For 43 days, the U.S. Senate debated funding bills and the extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. This disrupted many essential services, including the largest anti-hunger program in the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with over 41 million Americans (1 in 8 people) receiving monthly benefits.
Each month, SNAP gets funded by the federal government and is then distributed by states to eligible residents. Recipients can then spend the money on food and beverages, but it can’t be spent on tobacco, alcohol, or prepared food, such as takeout. The average SNAP household receives a monthly benefit of $332 per month, or $177 per person, based on the average SNAP household size of 1.9 people.
Eligibility is determined based on a person’s income, household size, and employment status. In 2023, 4 in 5 of every SNAP household included either a child, an elderly individual, or a disabled individual. About 73% had a gross monthly income at or below 100% of the poverty level.
SNAP benefits overwhelmingly reduce the severity of food insecurity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that receiving SNAP benefits reduces the likelihood of being food insecure by roughly 30% and the likelihood of being very food insecure by 20%. This data also directly correlates to lower healthcare costs for Americans and an overall healthier economy.
SNAP benefits were temporarily suspended as the USDA didn’t receive funding during the government shutdown. This was the first time the program had been interrupted since its creation in 1964. On Nov. 1, most SNAP recipients didn’t receive their monthly benefits, causing mass panic and uncertainty.
As of Oct. 31, 25 states have sued the Trump administration over its refusal to distribute SNAP benefits. President Donald Trump didn’t tap into contingency funds to ensure that the food assistance program would continue to provide aid. In a Truth Social post on Nov. 4, he wrote, “SNAP BENEFITS … will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”
Beyond the messy legal battles between the Trump administration and states, the administration also requested that the Supreme Court pause a district court ruling that ordered Trump to release funds for SNAP. This put a bigger strain on families, who at this point hadn’t received benefits for over 10 days.
Now that the government is reopened, SNAP benefits have been reinstated, although the exact timeline has differed by state. Trump had been implementing changes to the work requirements needed for eligibility, benefits, and administration as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBB), which had also started to take place.
The OBBB requires certain recipients (55–64-year-olds and parents of school-aged children 14 years and older) to complete more SNAP paperwork, such as proof of work and job training, to continue benefits. This will also include homeless individuals and kids who were part of the foster system, despite being previously exempt. Legal residents who aren’t U.S. citizens will no longer be eligible for SNAP at all.
The bill also changes how SNAP is funded. A share of the food benefit and administrative costs will shift from the federal government to state governments starting in October 2027. This means that SNAP funds and program availability may vary by state, as some states may not have enough funds to ensure all eligible recipients will receive benefits.
Many Republicans are justifying the refinancing and federal defunding of SNAP benefits by accusing a hefty percentage of recipients of being undocumented immigrants.
However, USDA data from 2023 shows that 95.6% of participating SNAP recipients are U.S. citizens and 3.3% are noncitizens, but this includes lawful permanent residents, asylees, as well as individuals without lawful status. The remaining 1.1% of recipients are refugees (as per the OBBB, noncitizens and refugees will no longer be eligible for SNAP benefits starting this fall).
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for SNAP benefits. The only way they could receive these benefits is by living with someone who does qualify. This usually describes citizen children who qualify for the program living with undocumented adults.
While House Speaker Mike Johnson is correct that Democrats sued the USDA, it wasn’t for “simply asking them how many illegal aliens are on the program,” it was because the USDA refused to answer questions about how they intended to use the information shared by the states.
The Trump administration demanded that personal information, such as names, dates of birth, home addresses, Social Security numbers, and benefit amounts, be given to them. Federal law doesn’t permit SNAP recipient data to be used for purposes other than the SNAP administration, and Democratic state officials believed that data would be used for immigration enforcement, which is illegal, so they sued in retaliation.
It’s been a big sigh of relief that the government is open, especially for individuals and families who rely on government assistance. In light of the shutdown, communities across the country saw a massive influx of support and donations to food banks. Some food banks saw a 1,800% increase in demand, and many also saw up to a 600% increase in donations.
For millions of families, SNAP is far more than a policy debate; it’s the difference between starvation and stability. It’s the nation’s most effective and efficient anti-hunger program, and it can’t afford to be slashed, tampered with, or used as political leverage. Although local communities stepped up to support their neighbors, charitable efforts can never replace the reliability and impact of SNAP.
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