Editor’s Note: On Saturday, USDA told states to undo efforts to fully fund SNAP, but late Sunday, a federal appeals court allowed a judge’s order to stand that directs the Trump administration to fully fund this month’s SNAP benefits. Alliance to End Hunger President Eric Mitchell spoke with The Packer Friday about the ongoing confusion surrounding SNAP payments during the government shutdown.
In a memo issued Nov. 7 to all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program agencies, the USDA says it is “working towards implementing November 2025 full benefit issuances in compliance with the Nov. 6, 2025, order from the District Court of Rhode Island.”
The memo, signed by Patrick Penn, deputy under secretary of the Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, also says FNS will complete the processes necessary to make funds available to support subsequent transmittal of full issuance files to EBT processors later today.
But the hold on SNAP benefits has already had a real impact on the 42 million people in this country receiving benefits and the communities in which they live.
The USDA memo “just lends to the confusion,” says Eric Mitchell, president of the nonprofit Alliance to End Hunger in Washington, D.C., adding the uncertainty around SNAP funding since the government shutdown has created confusion and chaos across states for weeks.
A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled, Nov. 6, that the government must pay the full SNAP benefits to the approximately 42 million Americans receiving them, but the administration immediately appealed the ruling.
“Some states have decided to just go ahead and fully fund the benefits themselves, while other states are opting for the 65% of SNAP benefits, and still other states are waiting to see how these legal challenges play out,” Mitchell says.
Mitchell says the government shutdown and halt to SNAP benefits has put millions of people at risk of hunger at a time when food is more expensive. It’s also come during the holiday season, when people hope to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and loved ones, with food as the centerpiece.
“It’s disheartening to see that this Thanksgiving that may not happen for some families here in this country,” he says.
Mitchell says the economic impact of the halt to SNAP benefits at the start of November has had a domino effect.
“When the government takes a pause on providing these SNAP benefits, people still have to pay rent. People still have to pay the medical bills. People still have car payments to make. They have to get to work, etc. So, what happens when you are relying on a particular resource to cover your balance around food, other things are sacrificed,” Mitchell says. “What you’re seeing now is people are making tough decisions. Do I pay my rent this month? Do I pay my mortgage this month? Do I pay this car note?
“That is the domino effect this has had,” he continues. “It’s like when you pull a thread and the entire shirt falls apart — everything unravels. That’s what we’re seeing right now.”
Mitchell says a lack of leadership consistency from the U.S. government has added to the confusion and uncertainty.
“These are unprecedented times,” he says. “In previous shutdowns, including the one under the first Trump administration in 2019, USDA provided the money needed to sufficiently fund SNAP. This is the longest shutdown we’ve seen in history.”
But Mitchell says the decision to press pause on SNAP benefits was really made weeks ago before the country hit a record on the longest U.S. government shutdown.
“This was a decision that was made two to three weeks ago when we didn’t know how long the shutdown was going to be,” he says. “So, this has nothing to do with the shutdown, other than it being a calculated decision — maybe a political decision — to put SNAP in the crosshairs of political negotiation.”
Impact to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Multiple reports have indicated some SNAP households have turned to shelf-stable pantry items like cereal and ramen, as their SNAP benefits have dried up and with it the ability to buy fresh food.
“There’s always this misconception that folks who are using SNAP benefits are relying on processed foods and unhealthier food options,” Mitchell says. “And the reality is that the purchasing habits of individuals who are using SNAP are no different than folks who are not on SNAP. But what we do know is that by having those SNAP benefits, it does make fresh fruits and vegetables — healthier food options — more affordable and available for those families.”
Mitchell says he’s spoken with SNAP households stocking up on canned items and shelf-stable foods in an effort to stretch their dollar.
Looking Ahead
What lessons have we learned from the suspension of SNAP benefits in early November and what do we need to do to avoid this happening again?
“That’s a long conversation,” Mitchell says. “Addressing food insecurity or hunger in this country is achievable, it’s doable, but you have to have the policies to make it work. We were already walking down a very tricky path with the changes that were being made to the SNAP program ahead of this, where hundreds and thousands of people are at risk of losing their benefits as a result of policy changes that Congress passed over the summer. And states were already in the process of implementing those programs and those policies.
“In the long term, we need to be looking at our policies from a lens of: How is this going to address food insecurity in this country?” he continues. “Whether it’s our tax policies, our policies directly related to agriculture, our policies related to how we address trade and the cost of living and the cost of food, housing — all these things are connected.”
Mitchell says we live in a system that is connected, and when you take away 42 million people’s ability to buy food, they have to stop paying other bills to put food on the table.
“I think the lesson learned from this is that these issues are important to all of us,” he says.
