Trump says SNAP benefits will remain frozen until Democrats end government shutdown

( Post Millennial )

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that food stamp payments will not resume in full until Democrats vote to reopen the federal government.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that SNAP benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before.” He criticized how the program expanded under former President Joe Biden, claiming funds were “handed to anyone for the asking” rather than to those truly in need.

The statement follows a court fight in Rhode Island over whether the administration is violating a judge’s order by refusing to pay full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the shutdown, which began October 1.

Lawyers for SNAP recipients filed an emergency motion Tuesday asking U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell to compel the administration to release the full amount of November benefits. McConnell had ordered the government last week to use available funds to keep the program running and to investigate whether other accounts could be used to fill the gap.

On Monday, the administration said it would use all $4.65 billion left in the program’s contingency fund but would not draw from another $4 billion in the Child Nutrition Program, meaning recipients would get roughly half of what they were due. Plaintiffs argued that decision failed to comply with McConnell’s order and called it “arbitrary and capricious.”

Previous administrations continued the program during funding lapses, but the Trump administration has tied its resumption to congressional action.

About 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits each month. It remains unclear when or if full payments will resume as the standoff between the White House and Democrats continues.