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The Trump administration said Monday that it will provide only half of the normal food stamp benefits for November by tapping into the program’s contingency fund amid the government shutdown. But recipients are not likely to see the payments immediately.
Some $4.65 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s contingency fund will “be obligated to cover 50% of eligible households’ current allotments” for November, according to a sworn statement from a US Department of Agriculture official submitted in federal court. The remaining $600 million in the fund will be used for state administrative expenses and nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico and American Samoa.
The decision came after a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the USDA last week to either start providing full November benefits to recipients or partial benefits if the agency opts to only draw on SNAP’s contingency fund.
In court papers filed Monday, the administration said it decided against pulling $4 billion from other sources of money to provide full benefits for November.
Nearly 42 million Americans receive food stamps, providing households just over $350 a month, on average, as of May, according to the most recent USDA data.
The agency’s unprecedented decision to halt benefits has panicked many recipients, driving them to overwhelmed food pantries to help feed themselves and their families. Millions of SNAP recipients started missing their benefits on Saturday, and millions more could find themselves in the same situation over the course of the month, depending on when payments are made.
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Trump is such an idiot. If shortly after the shutdown he had declared that he was going to release the funds for SNAP to keep any disadvantaged people on it from suffering from the shutdown "that the Democrats have caused". He could have looked like an actual hero.
But no. He waits until a judge orders him to release the money and then only releases half of it, thereby looking like a total schmuck. Trump is existentially determined to stop giving money to poor people. So he couldn't do such a thing even if it would have helped him. His goal is to starve poor people to death, or get them to self deport themselves to some other country. Cutting SNAP is just a start.
AI, would you mind telling me "How much does the Trump administration plan to cut from SNAP?"
"The Trump administration planned significant reductions to SNAP funding, proposing cuts close to $300 billion over the next decade, leading to partial funding and reductions in monthly benefits for millions of Americans.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, has been targeted for substantial funding cuts under the Trump administration. Recent spending bills and tax policies have proposed reducing federal SNAP funding by about $186 billion to nearly $300 billion over the next 10 years.
These cuts have concrete implications for beneficiaries: millions of Americans who rely on SNAP have seen delays in receiving benefits and reduced amounts in monthly food assistance, as the administration has chosen to partially fund the program.
For example, a partial payment of $4.65 billion was committed, but even this funding could take several months to reach recipients.
One critical policy decision was the administration's refusal to use emergency funds to fully maintain SNAP benefits during government shutdowns, directly affecting nearly 42 million Americans reliant on this aid [It has changed this as of yesterday].
This has raised concerns about food insecurity and hardship for vulnerable populations.
In summary, the Trump administration’s fiscal policies reflect a goal of sharply curtailing SNAP spending, with cuts totaling hundreds of billions of dollars over a decade, partial benefit payments, and delays in aid distribution affecting millions across the country.
Understanding these changes is essential for those tracking federal nutrition assistance and its social impact."
Thanks, AI!
But remember, folks... It's the Democrats who don't care about poor people.
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