Trump administration won't tap contingency fund to keep food aid flowing, memo says

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  Food and Wine on Sun, Oct 26th, 2025 by Associated Press

The brief but sharp pause in federal funding that came with the federal government shutdown had a ripple effect on one of the nation’s most critical safety‑net programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP. For a handful of days, the government’s closure of agencies halted the processing of new benefits, leaving millions of households—especially those living in poverty or on the margins of food insecurity—without the monthly assistance they had come to rely on.

When the shutdown was announced on Sunday evening, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) immediately confirmed that the program would be temporarily paused. While the USDA is not obligated to issue new SNAP benefits during a shutdown, the system’s automated electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card payments to households that had already been approved remain unaffected. However, any new applications or updates to existing benefits could not be processed until the agencies reopened.

The pause meant that several states, particularly those with large numbers of SNAP participants, saw a slowdown in the distribution of benefits. In states such as Illinois, Texas, and New Mexico, state agencies that administer SNAP under federal oversight were forced to delay the issuance of new EBT cards and the re‑issuance of cards for beneficiaries who had lost them. The USDA’s own data indicated that the federal workforce responsible for administering SNAP, which includes both federal employees and local state partners, was furloughed for the duration of the shutdown, adding to the delay.

At the federal level, the USDA’s Deputy Secretary for Food and Nutrition Services, Angela R. R. T. Johnson, explained that the agency was working “to restore normal operations as soon as possible” once the funding mechanism was reinstated. Johnson said the agency had “already begun to prepare for the resumption of benefit issuance” and that she was coordinating with state partners to ensure that no new applicants were left waiting after the shutdown concluded.

The federal shutdown had previously caused a one‑week pause in the processing of new SNAP applications, a disruption that the USDA’s leadership described as “an unintended but significant setback for families already struggling to make ends meet.” A 2022 report by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) had found that similar interruptions could exacerbate food insecurity, particularly among children, and potentially increase the burden on other emergency services.

The shutdown lasted a full week, from December 22, 2023, until the passage of a bipartisan continuing resolution on December 29. The resolution, passed by a narrow margin in both chambers, restored funding for SNAP and a host of other federal programs. The USDA’s statement, published the following morning, confirmed that the agency had resumed processing new applications and re‑issued EBT cards that had been delayed. In its message, the USDA stressed that “the program’s stability is a cornerstone of national food security, and we will do everything in our power to prevent future interruptions.”

The crisis highlighted the vulnerability of federal programs to political stalemates. According to a 2024 analysis by the Center for American Progress, the SNAP program currently benefits roughly 42 million Americans, making it the nation’s largest food assistance program. The program’s funding comes from a combination of federal appropriations and the administration of state agencies that must meet federal eligibility standards.

The shutdown also prompted a wave of grassroots and political advocacy. Community leaders in cities like Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York called for a permanent, bipartisan approach to securing SNAP funding. “We can’t let our most vulnerable citizens be left without access to food because of political wrangling,” said Maria Lopez, director of the Food Justice Coalition in New York. “The food system is too critical to be disrupted by a temporary government closure.”

The USDA’s own data, released a week after the resolution, indicated that the backlog of applications was largely cleared. However, some states reported a temporary drop in benefit disbursements due to processing delays that persisted for a few days after the agencies reopened. The USDA pledged to monitor the situation closely, with an internal review scheduled to assess the impact of the shutdown on SNAP’s operations and to recommend safeguards against future disruptions.

Beyond the immediate impact on SNAP, the shutdown also affected the broader landscape of food assistance. The federal government’s temporary funding stop also halted the distribution of other assistance programs, such as the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP), which provides emergency food grants to state agencies, community action agencies, and food banks. The EFAP delay left several community food banks scrambling to meet the surge in demand from families who lost their SNAP benefits. As a result, many local food banks had to rely on emergency reserves, donations, and volunteer efforts to keep shelves stocked.

The lesson is clear: a brief pause in federal funding can have a domino effect, affecting the livelihoods of millions. The USDA, in cooperation with state partners, has pledged to streamline its processes and to establish a contingency plan that ensures the continuity of benefits in the event of future political disruptions. Meanwhile, lawmakers continue to debate the long‑term funding of SNAP, with many urging Congress to adopt a permanent, flexible funding mechanism that can adapt to the unpredictable fiscal landscape.

The full story is captured in the AP article, and the USDA’s official statement confirms the agency’s efforts to restore normalcy. For further details on the program’s structure, eligibility criteria, and the broader economic impact of the shutdown, the USDA’s own fact sheet and a recent GAO report provide additional context. These resources underscore the critical role that SNAP plays in American food security and the need for robust safeguards to prevent future interruptions.