Trump says SNAP food stamp benefits won’t be paid until shutdown ends, sparking confusion

Washington — President Trump said Tuesday that federal food benefits provided through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will go out only when Democrats vote to end the ongoing government shutdown.

In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote that SNAP benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”

Mr. Trump’s comment comes a day after administration lawyers told a federal court in Rhode Island that it would tap into a contingency fund to issue partial food stamp payments for November. The Justice Department said in a filing that the Department of Agriculture would provide states with information necessary for calculating the benefits due to each eligible household, which would allow states to then begin disbursements.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on X that her agency sent that guidance to states Tuesday morning, but warned it would be a “cumbersome process” that could result in a weeks-long delay in food stamp payments going out recipients.

CBS News has asked the White House for clarification about what the president’s post means for the contingency funds.

The government shutdown entered its 35th day Tuesday and is on track to become the longest in U.S. history later in the day, surpassing the lapse in federal funding that occurred during Mr. Trump’s first term.

This is a developing story and will be updated.