Food Aid in Jeopardy: Partial Benefits on the Horizon

The federal government has decided to use backup funds to provide half of the usual food assistance benefits for November. This move comes as a result of the ongoing government shutdown, which has left the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) without its regular funding.

USDA's Contingency Plan

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has stated that it will use the entire $4.6 billion contingency fund to cover half of the benefits for eligible households. This is because the full amount needed for November benefits is around $9 billion. The USDA has warned that there might be mistakes and delays in the payment process due to the changes required in state systems to accommodate the reduced benefits.

Impact on Americans

Over 42 million Americans rely on SNAP to put food on their tables. The federal government usually funds SNAP by sending money to the states, which then manage the food stamp programs for their residents. However, the shutdown has caused a lapse in funding, leading to this partial benefit solution.

Legal Battles and Political Arguments

The decision to use the contingency fund came after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to tap into the fund to cover the lapse in SNAP funding. The judge also gave the government until Monday to file a status update about the distribution of the funds. In a separate case in Massachusetts, two dozen states and the District of Columbia filed suit to get the administration to use the contingency funds.

The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress had argued that the contingency fund couldn't legally be used to pay SNAP benefits because the underlying appropriation for the program had lapsed. However, both judges disagreed with that argument and said the fund must be used to cover part of the shortfall.

USDA's Initial Warning

The USDA had initially warned that federal food benefits would not go out to roughly 42 million recipients on Nov. 1 after it declined to tap into contingency funds to keep food stamp payments flowing during the shutdown. The agency blamed the pause on congressional Democrats for failing to back a GOP-backed stopgap measure that would fund federal agencies.

Shutdown's Duration

The shutdown has now entered its 34th day and is on track to become the longest shutdown in U.S. history if lawmakers fail to reach an agreement on a spending measure by late Tuesday. The initial decision to halt the food aid appeared to be a shift from the USDA's plan for a lapse in federal funding that was issued Sept. 30.