SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – With the government shutdown reaching its sixth week, the Trump administration is sending partial payments to the 42 million Americans who are a part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. After the shutdown 33 days ago, the USDA said it would not tap into its $5 billion dollar contingency fund because “the well has run dry.” However two federal judges, one in Rhode Island and one in Massachusetts said that freezing payments for the program is unlawful.
The USDA cited the government shutdown when freezing benefits for the first time in nearly six decades. About one in eight people in America receive SNAP benefits with an average of $187 per month. In Onondaga County, 67,000 people are a part of the program alone with 40% being children below the age of 18.
Despite the program being ordered back on, there could still be challenges getting SNAP benefits in general. The federal government said that states are going to be responsible for figuring out how to distribute the funds at the partial amounts. Because of this, system changes “will take anywhere from a few weeks to up to several months.” SNAP funding has been offered to be covered by certain states but the federal government has stated it will not reimburse states that choose to do so.