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One Big Thing:
Food assistance ended yesterday for 42 million Americans because of the extended government shutdown. As a result, tens of millions of poor, elderly and disabled Americans are going hungry right now.
Why It Matters To You:
Only one of the three branches of our federal government, specifically, two federal courts, are functioning as intended to resolve the suspension of SNAP benefits—the House of Representatives sent its members home nearly six weeks ago and have yet to reconvene, making it impossible to negotiate a settlement to the shutdown, which would resume the payment of money to SNAP recipients.
The executive branch has refused to release emergency federal funds specifically designated to fund the SNAP program during a shutdown, despite a federal court order to do so. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia (all led by Democratic governors and Attorneys General) along with non-profits and citizens groups recently sued the Administration in federal court to release these emergency funds to temporarily pay SNAP program recipients. Rather than immediately complying with the court order, the DOJ has asked the federal court for “clarification” about the legality of releasing the emergency funds, further delaying SNAP payments. On Saturday November 1, 2025, the federal court clarified its order in response to the administrations’s request:
So, on Saturday, Judge McConnell clarified his ruling, citing the president’s request, and offered the Trump administration a timeline.
He said the government “must make” a partial payment by Wednesday, but he also encouraged federal officials to explore the use of a second source of money that might allow it to pay SNAP benefits more quickly and in full. He pointed specifically to a pot of funds at the Agriculture Department largely composed of tariff revenue, which the government had used earlier in the shutdown to preserve another federal nutrition program.
No definitive word yet on whether the Administration will comply with the clarified court order or appeal the ruling.
Less than half of states are stepping in to partially fill the gap in federal funding by directly funding food banks or direct payment to SNAP enrollees, or both.
Dispelling the Myths:
— Illegal Immigrants cannot and do NOT receive SNAP benefits. There are, however, people residing in the United States legally that do receive SNAP benefits and other government aid.
Federal law generally makes undocumented immigrants ineligible for federal public benefits, though certain lawful residents, refugees, and asylees may qualify…. [According to Julia Gelatt, associate director of U.S. Immigration Policy program at the Migration Policy Institute] no SNAP participants are unauthorized immigrants without status,…most of those granted some form of temporary protection from deportation—including DACA, Temporary Protected Status, and asylum applicants – are ineligible for SNAP and therefore not among the 1.8 million noncitizen participants.”
— Americans, both citizens and those here legally, who receive SNAP benefits are not lazy, and most who are able and expected to work, earn full-time or part-time income most months during a given year:
Most people who receive SNAP benefits are children, over 60 years old or adults with disabilities [people who are not expected to work]…In 2023, the most recent year with available data, 20 percent of SNAP recipients had no income in the past month. Nearly all of those who did have an income made less than 130 percent of the poverty level — about $2,900 a month for a family of three in 2025.
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I’m trying out a new format with this post, using the Axios “Smart Brevity” formatting. I think it fits this particular topic, but I likely won’t use it for every post going forward. Please let me know what you think of this format, and if you can offer ways I can tweak it to improve clarity, understanding, or anything else, please let me know in the Comment Section below. I’d also love to hear your take on the freezing of SNAP benefits and the impact on your community.
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