SNAP

State officials are working to restore full SNAP benefits to millions of people after the long U.S. government shutdown has finally ended. Some state officials said Thursday that full November SNAP benefits should be available to spend on groceries by Friday, if not sooner. A series of court rulings and shifting policies from the Trump administration had led to inconsistent distribution of November benefits. About two-thirds of states had issued only partial or no benefits before the shutdown ended Wednesday night. The federal food program serves about 42 million people in lower-income households.

As the current Government Shutdown becomes the longest in US history, some federal programs have been caught in the crosshairs. SNAP was left without funding.

In light of the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, local nonprofit organizations are feeling the brunt of the impacts as a lapse in SNAP benefits persist causing individuals as well as families to function without food for extended periods of time. Find out how one organization in particular is taking extra steps to help not only its clients, but also other local organizations weathering the storm of SNAP uncertainty.

President Donald Trump's administration is demanding that states reverse full SNAP benefits issued under recent court orders. The U.S. Supreme Court has stayed those rulings, affecting 42 million Americans who rely on the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's demand follows warnings from over two dozen states about potential "catastrophic operational disruptions" if they aren't reimbursed for benefits authorized before the stay. Nonprofits and Democratic attorneys general had sued to maintain the program, winning favorable rulings last week. Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits for 700,000 residents but now faces financial strain.

A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump administration to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November. The ruling Thursday was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit. The Trump administration said last month that it would not pay benefits at all for November because of the federal shutdown. Last week, two judges ordered the government to pay at least partial benefits using an emergency fund. It initially said it would cover half, but it now says it will cover 65%.

President Donald Trump caused some confusion earlier Tuesday when he appeared to threaten SNAP benefits unless Democrats voted to reopen the government — despite court orders mandating that the administration keep the nation's largest food program running. Press secretary Karoline Levitt said the administration continues to pay out SNAP funding using contingency funding, which is what two separate judges ordered on Monday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had planned to freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1 because of a lapse in funding during the government shutdown. The government says the emergency fund it will use has enough to cover about half the normal benefits.

The Harry Chapin Food Bank is declaring an emergency as the federal government shutdown enters its fifth week with thousands of Southwest Florida families struggling to put food on the table, SNAP benefits about to be paused and federal employees in critical roles such as transportation and public safety continuing to go unpaid.

Various answers have cropped up for people seeking food in the wake of SNAP benefits being suspended in the government shutdown.

Southwest Florida outlets of a chicken salad restaurant are offering free meals for children until SNAP benefits are restored.