Trump administration says it won't tap emergency funds to pay food aid

According to a POLITICO memo, the Trump administration will not tap emergency funds in order to pay for federal benefits. This could put benefits at risk starting on Nov. 1, for nearly 42,000,000 Americans who depend on the nation’s biggest anti-hunger program.

USDA stated in the memo it will not tap into a contingency or other nutrition programs to pay for the Supplemental Nutrition Program. Federal funds are set to run dry at the end the month.

The SNAP contingency fund currently contains approximately $5 billion . This would not cover all $9 billion that the administration would require to fund benefits for November. Even if the Administration partially tapped those funds, it would still take weeks to distribute the money pro-rata — meaning that most low income Americans would miss out on their November food benefits.

To meet the deadline, Trump’s administration would have had to begin preparing for partial payment weeks ago. This it hasn’t done.

Congressional Democrats, anti-hunger organizations and other groups have urged President Trump to continue SNAP benefits through November. Some even argue that the federal government has a legal obligation for it to use other funds in order to fund the program. Senior officials told POLITICO, however, that the use of these other funds would not leave enough money for future food aid and emergencies.

According to two anonymous sources who described their private opinions, administration officials are expecting Democratic governors and antihunger groups will sue the government over its decision to not tap the contingency funds for SNAP. The White House blames Democrats for the funding lapse due to their repeated voting against a stopgap bill passed by the House.

This week, the Trump administration took action to secure funding for important farm programs after announcing earlier this month that Pentagon funds would be used to pay active duty troops.

USDA stated in a memo first reported by Axios that the contingency funds are reserved for emergencies, such as natural catastrophes. The USDA also claims that using funds from other nutrition programs could harm other beneficiaries such as mothers, babies and schoolchildren eligible for free meals.

USDA’s memo stated that “This Administration won’t allow Democrats to compromise funding for infant formula and school meals in order to prolong the shutdown.”

Angie Craig, of Minnesota, and Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut, the top Democrats in the House Agriculture and Appropriations Committees, lambasted this decision Friday. They said, “Congress provided billions of dollar to fund SNAP back in November.”

The statement said that the Trump administration is taking away food assistance from 42 million Americans in November. This includes seniors, veterans and families with young children. This is the cruelest and most unlawful act the Trump administration could have committed — freezing funds already approved by law for feeding hungry Americans, while he sends billions to Argentina or into his ballroom.

Congress could approve a standalone bill for SNAP funding in November. However, it would need to pass the Senate by early next week. The House would then likely have to revisit the issue to give its approval. Johnson said that if the Senate passed a standalone SNAP patch this week, the House will “address” the issue.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) He said he’d lean towards using emergency funds to keep some food subsidies flowing. In a text, he said that he thought the GOP and President should do everything they can to mitigate the damage done by Democrats.

Bacon said that if the Senate passes a bill next week, he would also support the House returning to vote on a separate bill: “I figure Speakers would want it.”

Virginia and Hawaii are two states that have begun to use their emergency funds in order to provide some food benefits without SNAP. It’s unclear how long this aid will last, given the states’ limited budgets. They rely on federal funding to fund anti-hunger programmes. USDA said that states can’t expect to get reimbursed for the costs they incur in order to keep benefits flowing.

Source:https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/24/snap-food-aid-shutdown-usda-00622690

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