Approximately one in every eight U.S. citizens receives an average of $187 each month in food assistance. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, was established more than 60 years ago to ensure that low-income Americans can access food, which the UN defines as a fundamental right. Throughout its entire existence, it has never been paused—until recently.
In October 2025, the federal government was in the midst of the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown began on October 1, the start of the fiscal year, because the Senate was short of the 60 votes required to pass a spending bill. The bill’s main point of controversy was whether it included an extension of expiring tax credits used by low- and middle-income Americans to reduce the cost of health insurance. Democrats refused to approve the plan without it, but Republicans wanted it to be a separate vote, saying it didn’t belong in the spending bill. The two sides couldn’t reach an agreement; thus, the government shut down.
President Trump claimed that it would be impossible to distribute SNAP benefits starting from November 1 if the shutdown continued. This would mean that 42 million Americans, 39 percent of whom were under 18 years old, would not receive the funding they need to be able to afford groceries for themselves and their families. During the first week of November, however, federal judges challenged Trump’s decision.
The two judges ruled that freezing payments for the nation’s largest anti-hunger program would be unlawful. Many political leaders and organizations supported this ruling, citing the $5 billion in emergency funds that Congress has set aside in case something like this were to happen. A court order forced the Trump Administration to present a plan by November 3 for how SNAP benefits would be restored despite the government shutdown.
However, the plan the administration released on that Monday announced funding for only half of the original payments, which would cause some families to lose their benefits entirely. Moreover, the funds can take weeks to show up on recipients’ debit cards in some states, and even longer if there were adjustments made to the system.
For several days, nineteen states continued to fund SNAP benefits without federal government assistance, despite the administration’s warnings that states would not be reimbursed. Food banks and pantries scrambled to fill the gap, but it wasn’t sufficient.
According to Democratic politicians, SNAP was created as an entitlement. “It shouldn’t have taken a court order to force President Trump to feed American families like every president before him,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.
In response to concerns about whether full payments would be restored, Trump posted on Truth Social on November 4: “[SNAP benefits] will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” Two days later, a federal judge ordered the President to fully fund SNAP by the following day.
The subsequent days witnessed a legal battle between President Trump and Judge McConnell, the Chief U.S. District Judge for the District of Rhode Island who blocked Trump’s plan not to fund SNAP.
If the shutdown had not ended, it is unclear what the future of SNAP would be (and it still is); but it is not a leap to say that the suspended program would have had a significant role to play in convincing Congress to come together. On November 12, Trump signed the spending bill that was finally passed by the House and Senate, effectively ending the government shutdown. The highly contested tax credits were not included in the bill, but a vote on whether to extend them will be scheduled for later this year.
On Thursday morning, furloughed federal employees returned to work, and SNAP payments were scheduled to resume as soon as possible. While recipients are relieved, there is bound to be some residual anxiety and anger over how quickly vital funds were taken away.
Many Americans hope that the recent media attention given to SNAP will highlight its importance in our democracy and safeguard the program’s continuation in the future. If there’s one thing people have learned, it’s that food is a fundamental human right that everyone living in the U.S. should be able to rely on.