The Trump administration announced on Monday its intention to partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) following court orders mandating the continuation of the program. Two judges recently ruled that the U.S. government must maintain its largest food assistance initiative, which supports millions of Americans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which manages SNAP, had initially planned to halt payments from November 1st, citing the inability to sustain funding during the ongoing federal government shutdown. SNAP, a cornerstone of the nation’s social support framework, provides aid to approximately one in eight Americans and incurs monthly costs exceeding $8 billion. The government now plans to tap into an emergency fund containing $4.65 billion, sufficient to cover roughly half of the usual benefits.

This move raises concerns about potential funding challenges in December if the government shutdown persists beyond November.

Uncertainty remains about the exact amount of aid recipients will receive and the timeline for when funds will be available on their SNAP debit cards. Many beneficiaries have already experienced delays in their November payments.

The administration has promised to supply states with guidelines on calculating per-household partial benefits. The process of updating SNAP cards, a coordinated effort involving state and federal agencies as well as vendors, can take up to two weeks in some regions. However, the USDA cautioned in a court filing that implementing system changes to distribute reduced benefits could take weeks or even months. Typically, the average monthly benefit stands at about $190 per person.

The USDA said last month that benefits for November wouldn’t be paid due to the federal government shutdown. That set off a scramble by food banks, state governments and the nearly 42 million Americans who receive the aid to find ways to ensure access to groceries.

Most states have boosted aid to food banks, and some are setting up systems to reload benefit cards with state taxpayer dollars. The threat of a delay also spurred lawsuits.

Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled separately but similarly Friday, telling the government that it was required to use one emergency fund to pay for the program, at least in part. They gave the government the option to use additional money to fully fund the program and a deadline of Monday to decide.

Patrick Penn, Deputy Under Secretary Food Nutrition and Consumer Services for USDA, said in a court filing Monday that the department chose not to tap other emergency funds to ensure there’s not a gap in child nutrition programs for the rest of this fiscal year, which runs through September 2026.

Trump said on social media Friday that he does “NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT.” He said he was telling government lawyers to prepare SNAP payments as soon as possible.

Democratic state attorneys general or governors from 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, challenged the plan to pause the program, contending that the administration has a legal obligation to keep it running in their jurisdictions. Cities and nonprofits also filed a lawsuit.

Advocates and beneficiaries say halting the food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills. The majority of states have announced more or expedited funding for food banks or novel ways to load at least some benefits onto the SNAP debit cards.

Rhode Island officials said Monday that under their program, SNAP beneficiaries who also receive benefits from another federal program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, received payments Saturday equal to one-fourth of what they typically get from SNAP. Officials in Delaware are telling recipients that benefits there won’t be available until at least Nov. 7.

To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a household’s net income after certain expenses can’t exceed the federal poverty line. For a family of four, that’s about $32,000 per year.

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Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey.