ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The deadline is ticking for the federal government to share a plan for how to partially or fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation’s largest meal assistance program.
A federal judge has given the government until noon on Monday to comply with orders and share the plan as the shutdown continues. The deadline comes as the over 135,000 people who rely on SNAP in the six-county Rochester region face uncertainty. One in seven people in Monroe County are SNAP recipients.
SNAP funds were set to run out on Saturday, Nov. 1. However, two judges ruled on Friday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture must use its contingency funds to supply food aid. News10NBC will continue tracking the latest to see whether funds will be restored.
This could be the golden ticket for SNAP recipients to get at least some of their benefits. There are not enough funds to get through the entire month of November, with only about $5 billion in the fund and a full month costing almost double that. Monday’s deadline for the Trump administration is to tell the judges whether or not they will allow partial payments or find more money for the full payment.
The USDA argued contingency funds were “not legally available to cover regular benefits,” but were instead supposed to be reserved for situations like natural disasters. Because there’s no federal budget, the department said transferring money would later mean less funds for things like school meals and infant formula.
During the government shutdown in President Donald Trump’s first term, benefits were paid out. Even if SNAP is funded, it could still take weeks for the money to get to recipients.
For weeks, News10NBC has been covering how local food pantries have been preparing for a pause to SNAP and speaking to recipients about their worries. Foodlink, the Rochester-based regional foodbank that supports meal programs across 10 counties, says it has been preparing for weeks for an increase in demand. You can see a list of local food pantries here.
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