President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it would partially fund SNAP after two judge rulings that required it to keep the food assistance program running.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture had planned to freeze payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because the shutdown meant it could no longer maintain funding. The program serves about one in eight Americans and is an significant part of the country’s social safety net. It costs about $8 billion per month nationwide.
It’s not clear how much beneficiaries will receive and how quickly beneficiaries will see value on the debit cards they operate to purchase groceries. The SNAP card loading process, which requires steps from state and federal agencies and providers, can take up to two weeks in some states. The average monthly benefit is usually around $190 per person.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the nation’s largest food program, said last month that November benefits would not be paid because of the federal government shutdown. That set off a struggle by food banks, state governments and the nearly 42 million Americans who receive the aid to find ways to ensure access to food.
The latest:
Senate GOP leader ‘positive’ about shutdown deal this week
Majority Leader John Thune made brief comments as he opened the Senate for this week.
Asked if he was confident, he turned to the chamber door and said, “Don’t push on it.”
Newsom and Pelosi of California are pushing to pass measures to redraw the U.S. House of Representatives maps
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday’s measure in the election that would reshape the U.S. House maps was not about drawing lines but about standing up to a tyrant.
The ballot measure would create partisan maps of the U.S. House of Representatives outside of the routine once-a-decade redistricting conducted in California by an independent commission. It is an attempt by Democrat Newsom to counter a Trump-backed plan in Texas to gain five more Republican seats.
Newsom, a leading critic of Trump and a possible candidate for the White House in 2028, spoke Monday to a union hall full of cheering union members who were about to call the bench to pass Proposition 50.
“You poked the bear, and the bear pushes back,” he said as the room erupted in applause.
Newsom was joined on stage by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic representatives from California, all of whom spoke about the damage they say the Trump administration has caused.
Democrats support partial funding for SNAP
Top Senate Democrats are unhappy with the Trump administration’s commitment to partially fund the food assistance program known as SNAP.
The program costs about $8 billion per month nationwide. The government says an emergency fund it will operate during the government shutdown has $4.65 billion – enough to cover about half of normal benefits.
“USDA has the authority to fully fund SNAP and must do so immediately. Anything less is unacceptable,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer tweeted.
“Trump should have paid SNAP benefits all along,” tweeted Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Just paying the bare minimum now to partially fund SNAP is not enough and is unacceptable.”
Party leader Jeffries predicts “significant” Democratic victories in Tuesday’s election
Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle are closely watching Tuesday’s election, particularly the high-profile gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia.
“America is going in the wrong direction. And there is a better way that Democrats are proposing,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday. “And that’s why I believe we’re going to see significant Democratic victories across America.”
The results could provide the clearest indication yet of how the message in the shutdown fight is resonating with voters. Jeffries said the election will show that Democrats are “on the right side of the American people.”
“That’s what this fight was about,” he said.
Arkansas sends 100 National Guard members to DC
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday she approved sending 100 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., to support the D.C. Guard’s “ongoing civilian security operations.”
Sanders’ office said the Guard will gather in the coming weeks and move to the Washington region after Thanksgiving. The mission is expected to last several months.
Trump is scheduled for telerallies in New Jersey, Virginia
President Donald Trump is expected to speak at telephone rallies Monday evening in the two states that will elect governors in Tuesday’s off-year election.
Trump has already endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey and held a telephone rally for him last month. But he had not declared his support for Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate in Virginia.
Former President Barack Obama rallied Saturday with Democratic candidates Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and urged voters to reject Trump’s policies 10 months into his second presidency.
Georgia senator calls on Trump to broker SNAP negotiations
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia visited a market near downtown on Monday run by Goodr, a group that provides food.
Warnock said Trump put SNAP benefits at risk.
“SNAP recipients were not involved in this fight,” Warnock said. They were drawn into this fight by the government. And that’s why I want you to think about this: you’re literally pitting unwell people against hungry people. I can’t imagine anything cowardly.”
The Georgia Democrat called on Trump to mediate negotiations.
“What did he do during the shutdown?” Warnock asked. “I think there was a ‘Great Gatsby’ Halloween party over the weekend that put a wrecking ball on the East Wing of the White House and our economy.”
Warnock dismissed talk that Senate Republicans would eliminate the filibuster to pass a spending bill and end the shutdown.
“If you don’t have the votes, you have to use common sense to talk to people in the other party,” he said.
The Trump administration says SNAP will be partially funded after the judges’ rulings
President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it would partially fund SNAP after two judge rulings that required it to keep the food assistance program running.
It’s not clear how much beneficiaries will receive and how quickly beneficiaries will see value on the debit cards they operate to purchase groceries. Loading the cards, which requires steps through state and federal agencies and providers, can take up to two weeks in some states. The average monthly benefit is usually around $190 per person.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the nation’s largest food program, said last month that November benefits would not be paid because of the federal government shutdown. That set off a struggle by food banks, state governments and the nearly 42 million Americans who receive the aid to find ways to ensure access to food.
Most states have increased aid to food banks, and some are setting up systems to top up benefit cards with state tax dollars.
▶ Read more about SNAP funding
Trump assumes that the Democrats will capitulate to the Republicans
“I think they have to,” Trump said during the “60 Minutes” interview. “And if they don’t vote, that’s their problem.”
With Senate Democrats now having voted against reopening the government 13 times and insisting that Trump and Republicans must negotiate with them first, Trump said Republican leaders should change the Senate’s rules and eliminate the filibuster.
“Republicans need to get tougher,” Trump told CBS. “If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want.”
Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected that idea, arguing that the need for 60 votes to overcome any objections was crucial to the Senate and allowed them to stop Democrats’ policies when they were in the minority.
