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Confusion continues to build around the nations as the Trump Administration fights against Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit payments made to recipients since federal judges ordered November payments be made to eligible recipients.
But on Friday, Nov. 7 the Supreme Court granted a request to pause full payments while the appeals court considers the issue. States that began issuing payments after the earlier ruling are being directed to “immediately undo” any actions they have made to fully fund the SNAP.
The Trump administration is ordering states that are sending full SNAP payments with absorbing the costs of the federal programs themselves and theatening them with financial penalties.
In lights of the discourse, the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) on Sunday, Nov. 9, announced it will issue partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November to eligible Georgians.
SNAP recipients will receive up to 65% of their regular benefit amount, based on their household income and applicable deductions. All other SNAP benefits will go out on the usual schedule for the rest of the month.
Georgians whose distribution dates have passed will receive their benefits by Tuesday, according to DHS.
The government shutdown was expected to force a delay in SNAP benefit payments and impose politically induced hardships on individuals and families as they approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement on Saturday, Nov. 8, that any such payments were “unauthorized” and sending full payments “may result in USDA taking various actions, including cancellation of the Federal share of State administrative costs and holding
The suspension which was to go into effect on November 1, followed an Oct. 28 online directive from the USDA, which stated: “Bottom line, the well has run dry … At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”
The Trump administration maintained that it would not tap into its nearly $5 billion contingency fund to provide benefits to families receiving SNAP, but the court’s ruling to orders the administration to tap into funds to continue funding the program through November. The administration previously said it had no plans to dive into the billions of dollars in contingency funds before the rulings.
The rulings gave the Trump administration until Monday, Nov. 3, afternoon to decide whether to partially or fully fund SNAP benefits for November. A filing from Monday says that USDA will “fully comply” with the judges’ rulings and create a table “to calculate the benefits available for each eligible household in that State.”
The USDA was essentially given two options: tap into the Section 32 Child Nutrition Program to fully fund SNAP benefits for November, or drain the $4.65 billion in contingency funds to partially fund SNAP for the month. The administration went with the latter.
Nearly 1.6 million Georgians rely on SNAP food benefits and the program supports about 42 million low income people throughout the country each month by assisting them with payments for food. That assistance has already seen negative impacts by rising food costs. Adding to the negative impact of delayed payments and rising food costs, changes which have taken effect recently under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill reduces and in some cases eliminates payments altogether.
The new rules decrease the number of Americans who qualify for SNAP by expanding the work exemption from 59 to 65 years old, and the childcare exemption now only applies to parents or guardians of children under 14 when it was previously 18.
People experiencing homelessness and veterans are no longer exempt form the work requirement.
“Many people in America are a single missed paycheck away from needing support from their local food banks,” Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, said when the shutdown started on Oct. 1. “A prolonged shutdown will deepen the strain, and more families will seek help at a time when food banks are already stretched due to sustained high need.”
The government shutdown now entering its fourth week will cause November payments to be delayed. That delay will increase hardships on individuals and families as they approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents can only receive SNAP benefits for 3 months every 3 years unless they meet work criteria. , but pregnant individuals and those unable to work due to a physical or mental condition remain exempt.
It’s important to check your state’s payment schedule to see when your SNAP benefits will arrive this month. If you’re an ABAWD, be aware of the new eligibility rules that could impact how long you can receive assistance.
Check your state’s expected SNAP distribution dates for more details.
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