Trump threatens to withhold SNAP benefits despite court order

WHY? OFFICIALS SAY ONE WOMAN ENDED UP WITH TWO BALLOTS. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS SNAP BENEFITS WILL BE PARTIALLY FUNDED AS THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON. TWO JUDGES RULED LAST WEEK. THE GOVERNMENT IS REQUIRED TO KEEP THAT PROGRAM RUNNING AFTER THE USDA SAID IT RAN OUT OF MONEY SATURDAY. THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE AT FOUR. I’M KURTIS MING. I’M LISA GONZALEZ. NOW, DESPITE THE ANNOUNCEMENT, THERE’S STILL A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE WHO RELY ON THAT PROGRAM KNOWN AS CALFRESH IN CALIFORNIA. KCRA 3’S CHRISTOPHER SALAS TELLS US MANY ARE WONDERING WHEN THEY’LL ACTUALLY SEE THOSE BENEFITS HIT THEIR ACCOUNTS, AND HOW MUCH THEY’LL GET. SO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAID TODAY THAT SNAP IS COMING BACK, BUT WE STILL DON’T HAVE ANSWERS TO THE TWO QUESTIONS THAT FAMILIES CARE THE MOST ABOUT. HOW MUCH WILL THE SNAP BENEFITS BE AND WHEN WILL THEY COME BACK? IN A NEW COURT FILING TODAY, USDA SAYS IT MAY TAKE WEEKS, EVEN SEVERAL MONTHS IN SOME STATES FOR FAMILIES TO SEE THEIR SNAP BENEFITS DURING THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, USDA SAYS IT RAN OUT OF MONEY FOR SNAP ON NOVEMBER 1ST, AND A FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERED THE ADMINISTRATION TO KEEP THE PROGRAM RUNNING USING EMERGENCY FUNDS. THE ADMINISTRATION RESPONDED TO THE COURT JUST THIS AFTERNOON, SAYING IT WOULD DO SO, BUT THERE’S ONLY ABOUT $4.6 BILLION IN THAT FUND, WHICH IS ROUGHLY HALF OF WHAT SNAP NORMALLY NEEDS FOR A MONTH OF BENEFITS. SO NOW STATES HAVE TO GO BACK INTO THEIR SYSTEMS, REDO THE MATH AND RELOAD MILLIONS OF DEBIT CARDS WITH REDUCED BENEFITS. SNAP HELPS NEARLY 42 MILLION PEOPLE, MOSTLY FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN, ALONG WITH SENIORS, VETERANS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. THE AVERAGE BENEFIT IS ABOUT $190 A MONTH PER PERSON. SO AS FAMILIES WAIT FOR THEIR SNAP BENEFITS UP ON CAPITOL HILL, NO MOVEMENT TO REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT. NOT EVEN A VOTE SCHEDULED FOR TODAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE AND CHRISTOPHER SALAS. KCRA THREE NEWS. MANY FAMILIES CONTINUE TO TURN TO LOCAL FOOD BANKS FOR HELP. SOME STOPPED BY THE RANCHO CORDOVA FOOD LOCKER EARLIER TO GET ESSENTIALS. REPRESENTATIVE AMI BERA WAS ON HAND TO HELP. HE SAYS MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO HELP THOSE STRUGGLING TO GET BY. FAMILIES ARE STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW. WE’RE COMING UP ON THE HOLIDAYS. THAT’S OUR CORE JOB IS TO TAKE CARE OF THESE AMERICAN FAMILIES THAT ARE STRUGGLING. AND IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW NEEDS ASSISTANCE RIGHT NOW, SCAN THE

Updated: 1:01 PM CST Nov 4, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Trump threatens to withhold SNAP benefits despite court order

Updated: 1:01 PM CST Nov 4, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to withhold critical food aid until the government shutdown is over, despite his administration's assertion to a court earlier this week that it would continue funding partial benefits."SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden's disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly "handed" to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT," Trump wrote on Truth Social.The post comes a day after the administration said it would abide by a court order and tap a roughly $5 billion contingency fund to keep partial benefits flowing into November. The Justice Department, which made the filings, declined to comment.The White House and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Should Trump follow through on canceling the aid, it would abruptly leave millions of people without the monthly federal assistance they rely on to purchase food. Nearly 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits, which amount to roughly $350 per household per month on average.The move would also raise fresh legal questions, after more than two dozen states sued last week to force the administration to keep at least some of the aid flowing."This is immoral. See you in court," Skye Perryman, the CEO of Democracy Forward, a legal organization involved in a separate lawsuit that also sought continuation of the SNAP benefits, wrote on X in response to Trump's post.Trump officials had previously planned to cut off the benefits beginning Nov. 1, citing concerns over whether they could legally use the contingency fund or move money from other accounts. But the court indicated that the administration could do both to fully fund the more than $9 billion of aid, essentially giving Trump officials the choice of paying partial or full benefits. The administration opted only to use the contingency fund to pay out partial benefits.A federal judge, meanwhile, scheduled a Thursday hearing to consider a fresh request for an order requiring the Trump administration to provide Americans with their full food stamp benefits for November.The hearing before U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island will be the latest episode in a dramatic showdown over the benefits that is playing out in two different federal courts.After the government notified McConnell of its plans on Monday that it would provide only partial SNAP benefits, a coalition of cities, nonprofits, unions and small businesses that brought the legal challenge pressed the judge to intervene yet again, arguing USDA's choice did not comport with the requirements of his order last week.The plaintiffs are asking the judge to issue a new order that would force the administration to tap into a separate pot of money to provide SNAP benefits for November.Thursday's hearing is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

CNN —

President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to withhold critical food aid until the government shutdown is over, despite his administration's earlier this week that it would continue funding partial benefits.

"SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden's disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly "handed" to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT," Trump wrote .

The post comes a day after the administration said it would abide by a court order and tap a roughly $5 billion contingency fund to keep partial benefits flowing into November. The Justice Department, which made the filings, declined to comment.

The White House and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Should Trump follow through on canceling the aid, it would abruptly leave millions of people without the monthly federal assistance they rely on to purchase food. Nearly 42 million Americans , which amount to roughly $350 per household per month on average.

The move would also raise fresh legal questions, after more than two dozen states sued last week to force the administration to keep at least some of the aid flowing.

"This is immoral. See you in court," Skye Perryman, the CEO of Democracy Forward, a legal organization involved in a separate lawsuit that also sought continuation of the SNAP benefits, in response to Trump's post.

Trump officials had previously planned to cut off the benefits beginning Nov. 1, citing concerns over whether they could legally use the contingency fund or move money from other accounts. But the court indicated that the administration could do both to fully fund the more than $9 billion of aid, essentially giving Trump officials the choice of paying partial or full benefits. The administration opted only to use the contingency fund to pay out partial benefits.

A federal judge, meanwhile, scheduled a Thursday hearing to consider a fresh request for an order requiring the Trump administration to provide Americans with their full food stamp benefits for November.

The hearing before U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island will be the latest episode in a dramatic showdown over the benefits that is playing out in two different federal courts.

After the government notified McConnell of its plans on Monday that it would provide only partial SNAP benefits, a coalition of cities, nonprofits, unions and small businesses that brought the legal challenge pressed the judge to intervene yet again, arguing USDA's choice did not comport with the requirements of his order last week.

The plaintiffs are asking the judge to issue a new order that would force the administration to tap into a separate pot of money to provide SNAP benefits for November.

Thursday's hearing is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

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