House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told reporters Monday that President Donald Trump is “desperate” to restart Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits after federal judges ruled that the administration must use contingency funds to send out the payments.
Why It Matters
On Saturday, up to 42 million Americans did not receive new EBT cards via the SNAP program, as they normally would on the first of the month, amid the ongoing government shutdown. Critics of the Trump administration point to billions in contingency funds that they believe should have been used to send out payments. Two federal judges sided with that view on Friday, ruling that Trump’s administration must continue to pay for SNAP.
The Trump administration said Monday it will partially fund SNAP. Deputy Under Secretary of Food Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNCS) Patrick Penn said in a declaration on Monday that a total of $4.65 billion will be available in the contingency fund for November SNAP benefits that will be obligated to cover 50 percent of eligible households’ current allotments.
SNAP serves about one in eight Americans, mostly families with children.
What To Know
Johnson was asked about the rulings and the Trump administration’s response during a press conference on Monday morning. The House speaker said he and the president had “talked about this quite a bit over the weekend.”
“The president is desperate for SNAP benefits to flow to the American citizens who desperately rely upon it. He has bent over backwards, as you know, to get the troops paid, to keep WIC funding going. He’s found creative solutions,” Johnson said.
“The SNAP situation…has legal impediments to that,” he continued, saying the legal advice the Trump administration had received said that the contingency funds could not be used.
“The contingency fund is an extra, in layman’s terms, it’s an extra fund that is there, for example, if you have an unexpected natural occurrence like a hurricane,” Johnson said.
Will SNAP Benefits Still Be Issued in November 2025?
The Trump administration announced that it will partially fund SNAP after two federal judges ruled that the administration must keep the program running.
Both judges allowed the administration to decide whether to fund the program partially or in full for November.
Trump said on Friday that he instructed the administration’s lawyers to ask the court to clarify how to legally fund SNAP “as soon as possible.”
“It is already delayed enough due to the Democrats keeping the Government closed through the monthly payment date and, even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay.”
Is the Government Still Shut Down?
The federal government has been shut down since October 1.
While Republicans hold the majority in the House and Senate, they need Democratic support to reach an agreement to reopen the government.
The Democrats are seeking an extension of health care tax credits that are set to expire and the restoration of cuts made to Medicaid in a previous spending bill, but Republicans have not agreed to the proposal.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social on October 31: “I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, wrote on X on November 2: “The Trump administration is ripping away SNAP benefits from millions of children. House Republicans remain on a taxpayer-funded vacation for the sixth consecutive week. You deserve better.”
What Happens Next?
It is unclear how much SNAP beneficiaries will receive or when they will see the value loaded onto their cards. The process can take up to two weeks in some states.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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Update 11/3/25, 12:34 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 11/3/25, 1:23 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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