Trump Administration To Partially Pay SNAP Benefits: What It Means For MD

President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it will partially fund SNAP payments to Maryland recipients in November after a pair of judges’ rulings required it to keep the food aid program running.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture froze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over the weekend because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the government shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It costs about $8 billion per month nationally.

NBC News reported the administration plans to use all $4.65 billion in contingency funds to cover about half of each eligible household's SNAP benefits this month. The administration said it would need at least $4 billion in additional government funds to provide full SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps.

It’s not clear how much beneficiaries will receive, nor how quickly beneficiaries will see value show up on the debit cards they use to buy groceries. The process of loading the SNAP cards, which involves steps by state and federal government agencies and vendors, can take up to two weeks in some states. The average monthly benefit is usually about $190 per person.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the nation’s largest food program, said last month that benefits for November wouldn’t be paid out due to the federal government shutdown. That set off a scramble by food banks, state governments and the nearly 42 million Americans who receive the aid to find ways to ensure access to groceries.

Last week, Maryland joined a group of 26 states in suing the Trump administration, claiming the USDA unlawfully suspended SNAP benefits during the ongoing government shutdown, a lawsuit that was the basis of a Massachusetts court ruling ordering that the benefits be paid.

“The Court agreed that USDA can’t lawfully cut off Marylanders’ SNAP benefits. As this case moves forward, we will continue to fight in court to force the federal government to fund SNAP benefits that families rely on to put food on the table," Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said Friday. "The Marylanders who depend on SNAP include seniors on fixed incomes, parents working multiple jobs to make ends meet, and students so hungry that they can’t pay attention in school. Every Marylander deserves the dignity of knowing where their next meal will come from. We will not allow the Trump administration to take food from children's mouths when they have the money to feed them.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency last week to commit $10 million in state aid to feeding SNAP recipients if the federal government didn't pay stakeholders.

“We have long said: the Trump Administration must follow the law, release contingency funding for SNAP, and lead Congressional Republicans in ending the federal government shutdown. For millions of Americans — including 680,000 Marylanders — SNAP is a lifeline," Moore said Friday. “We are encouraged by both Judge Talwani and Judge McConnell's rulings and call upon the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release emergency nutrition funds on Monday.”

On Friday, Baltimore County leaders pledged $4 million in food aid to offset a possible SNAP disruption.

RELATED:

• MD Among States Suing Trump Administration Over Suspended SNAP Benefits
• Baltimore County Pledges $4M To Food Resources Amid SNAP Disruption

More than 693,000 low-income Marylanders, including more than 270,000 children, were set to lose SNAP assistance in November after the USDA informed states that benefits would not be paid during the shutdown.

In Boston, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled Friday in a written opinion that the USDA has to pay for SNAP, calling the suspension “unlawful.” She ordered the federal government to advise the court by Monday as to whether they will use the contingency funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the program “using both contingency funds and additional available funds.

In his executive order, Moore directed the state to send $10 million to Maryland food banks ahead of the lapse in SNAP benefits.

While the funds were not to supplement lost SNAP benefits, the order directed money for food banks to be taken from the state's fiscal responsibility fund and administered by the Maryland Department of Human Services.

Baltimore County officials on Friday also said they planned to direct $4 million to local food assistance and resources in an effort to help residents and federal workers affected by the federal government shutdown.

It remains unclear whether the state or Baltimore County plan to still direct funds to food assistance if November SNAP benefits are paid.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.