SNAP Benefits Partially Restored: What It Means For NJ

The Trump Administration has announced it will partially fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through November, after two federal judges ordered the administration to continue the program’s funding.

SNAP, which provides food assistance to more than 827,000 New Jerseyans and around one in eight people nationwide, was set to pause this past Saturday amid the government shutdown, which just hit day 34 on Monday.

On Friday, two federal judges ordered that the Trump Administration, specifically the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), tap into funds to keep the program afloat. The administration previously said it had no plans to tap into the billions of dollars in contingency funds before the rulings.

The rulings gave the Trump administration until Monday afternoon to decide whether to partially or fully fund SNAP benefits for November. A filing from Monday says that USDA will “fully comply” with the judges’ rulings and create a table “to calculate the benefits available for each eligible household in that State.”

The USDA was essentially given two options: tap into the Section 32 Child Nutrition Program to fully fund SNAP benefits for November, or drain the $4.65 billion in contingency funds to partially fund SNAP for the month. The administration went with the latter.

“Ultimately, USDA has determined that Section 32 Child Nutrition Program funds must remain available to protect full operation of Child Nutrition Programs throughout the fiscal year, instead of being used for SNAP benefits,” a filing read. “Section 32 Child Nutrition Program funds are not a contingency fund for SNAP. Using billions of dollars from Child Nutrition for SNAP would leave an unprecedented gap in Child Nutrition funding that Congress has never had to fill with annual appropriations, and USDA cannot predict what Congress will do under these circumstances.”

Officials said that more than $8 billion is needed to fully fund the program through November, nearly double what’s in the contingency fund.

The draining of the contingency fund has the administration worried that “no funds will remain for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely,” according to the USDA.

It was not made immediately clear when the EBT cards, the debit cards that those enrolled in SNAP use to buy groceries, will be reloaded.

'Not Enough': NJ Attorney General

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin joined 21 other attorneys general and three governors in suing the Department of Agriculture for unlawfully suspending SNAP funding. He calls the partial funding "good progress," but "not enough."

"Further action is needed to make these benefits available to families, and at a time when food insecurity is already high and in a month when families are gathering at the Thanksgiving table," Platkin said in a statement. "Over 800,000 New Jerseyans rely on SNAP — including over half a million children, elderly residents, and residents with disabilities."

The Attorney General said he will continue to work with Governor Phil Murphy to keep providing food assistance in New Jersey.

Click here to find a food bank near you.