States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people
after government shutdown ends
[November 14, 2025]
By GEOFF MULVIHILL and DAVID A. LIEB
With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, state officials said
Thursday that they are working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to
millions of people who made do with little-to-no assistance for the past
couple of weeks.
A back-and-forth series of court rulings and shifting policies from
President Donald Trump's administration has led to a patchwork
distribution of November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program. While some states already had issued full SNAP
benefits, about two-thirds of states had issued only partial benefits or
none at all before the government shutdown ended late Wednesday,
according to an Associated Press tally.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, issued new
guidance Thursday, instructing: “State agencies must take immediate
steps to ensure households receive their full November allotments
promptly.”
The federal food program serves about 42 million people, about 1 in 8
Americans, in lower-income households. They receive an average of around
$190 monthly per person, though that doesn't necessarily cover the full
cost of groceries for a regular month.
Because of the uncertainty over benefits, the USDA told states to
exclude November from a federal requirement that most adult SNAP
recipients work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least
80 hours a month. Under normal circumstances, recipients can only go
three months in a span of three years without meeting the work
requirements.
States shifting from zero to full speed for benefits
In some states where SNAP recipients had received nothing during
November, officials said they are working to load money on to people's
electronic benefit cards by Friday, if not sooner.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services said Thursday that full
November SNAP benefits are expected to be available at midnight for
people to buy groceries.
“This has been difficult for our beneficiaries, and we are incredibly
appreciative to our partners across the state who helped bridge the gap
through food pantries, donation drives, and other assistance efforts,”
department Secretary Janet Mann said in a statement.
Officials in South Carolina and West Virginia, which also had not issued
November benefits, said the full monthly amount should be available by
Friday. And Alabama said full SNAP benefits should be issued Thursday.
North Carolina, which issued partial benefits last week, said full
monthly SNAP benefits should be loaded on people's electronic cards by
Friday. Colorado said it was switching from delivering partial to full
SNAP benefits Thursday.
The Illinois Department of Human Services, which previously issued
partial November benefits, said Thursday that it is “working to restore
full SNAP benefits." But it won't happen instantly.
“We anticipate that the remaining benefit payments will be made over
several days, starting tomorrow,” the department said in a statement,
and that "all SNAP recipients will receive their full November benefits
by November 20th.”
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Produce, which is covered by the USDA Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP), is displayed for sale at a grocery store
in Baltimore, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Paused SNAP payments stirred stress for some families
The delayed SNAP payments posed another complication for Lee Harris’
family since his spouse was laid off a few months ago.
Harris, 34, said the North Little Rock, Arkansas, family got help
from his temple and received food left by someone who was moving.
With that assistance — and the knowledge that other families have
greater needs — they skipped stopping by the food pantry they had
sometimes used.
They and their three daughters have been able to keep meals fairly
close to normal despite missing a SNAP payment this week. But they
still have experienced stress and uncertainty.
“Not knowing a definite end,” Harris said, “I don’t know how much I
need to stretch what I have in our pantry.”
Federal legislation funds SNAP for a year
The USDA told states Oct. 24 that it would not fund SNAP benefits
for November amid the government shutdown. Many Democratic-led
states sued to have the funding restored.
After judges ruled the Trump administration must tap into reserves
to fund SNAP, the administration said it would fund up to 65% of its
regular allocations. When a judge subsequently ordered full
benefits, some states scrambled to quickly load SNAP benefits onto
participants' cards during a one-day window before the Supreme Court
put that order on hold Friday.
Meanwhile, other states went forward with partial benefits, and
still others issued nothing while waiting for further USDA guidance
about the situation.
Amid the uncertainty over federal SNAP funding, some states tapped
into their own funds to provide direct aid to SNAP recipients or
additional money for nonprofit food banks.
The legislation to reopen the U.S. government provides full SNAP
benefits not only for November but also for the remainder of the
federal fiscal year, which runs through next September. Citing that
legislation, the Justice Department on Thursday dropped its request
for the Supreme Court to continue blocking a judicial order to pay
full SNAP benefits.
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Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama;
Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Andrew DeMillo in
Little Rock, Arkansas; John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois; John
Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; and Colleen Slevin in Denver
contributed to this report.
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