The Trump Gatsby administration says it will provide only half of the normal food stamp benefits for November by tapping into the program’s contingency fund. But recipients are not likely to see those payments soon so relax, guy, what’s the big deal? Via CNN:
Some $4.65 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s contingency fund will “be obligated to cover 50% of eligible households’ current allotments” for November, according to a sworn statement from a US Department of Agriculture official submitted in federal court. The remaining $600 million in the fund will be used for state administrative expenses and nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico and American Samoa.
The decision came after a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the USDA last week to either start providing full November benefits to recipients or partial benefits if the agency opts to only draw on SNAP’s contingency fund.
In court papers filed Monday, the administration said it decided against pulling $4 billion from other sources of money to provide full benefits for November
Nearly 42 million Americans receive food stamps, providing households just over $350 a month, on average, as of May, according to the most recent USDA data.
The partial payment requires states to reprogram their computer systems for the smaller allotments, which can delay the transition.
