On Saturday, some 42 million low-income Americans, including 16 million children, lost access to benefits through the SNAP program as the government shutdown continues.

An average of 41.7 million people, or 12.3 % of the U.S. population, received SNAP benefits each month in Fiscal Year 2024, according to the USDA. October 2025 reports indicate that about 42 million Americans participate in SNAP monthly.

Two federal judges on Friday said the Trump administration must tap into contingency funds to make SNAP payments during the government shutdown.

SNAP, sometimes known as "food stamps," is a U.S ... National Hurricane Center outlook post-Melissa During the 2018-2019 shutdown, the USDA paid February benefits early, at the end of January, and Congress passed emergency funding to ensure payments ...

Funds for the program are allocated monthly, so October benefits went out as usual despite the government shutdown. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the SNAP program, said earlier this month that there will not be enough ...

Two federal judges told the U.S. Department of Agriculture it must begin using contingency funds to provide food assistance, but gave the agency until Monday to decide exactly how to do so.

The Agriculture Department said it can't use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits, contradicting earlier guidance that the money was available.