**Congress Moves to Reopen Government, But SNAP Benefit Timing Remains Uncertain**
*By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press*
Congress has taken a major step toward reopening the government, but there’s still uncertainty about when one of the most far-reaching impacts of the closure will be resolved: when all 42 million Americans who receive SNAP food aid will have access to their full November benefits.
On Wednesday, the House adopted a plan to reopen and sent it to President Donald Trump to sign. One provision calls for restarting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but it does not clarify exactly when benefits will be loaded onto the debit cards beneficiaries use to buy groceries.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which runs SNAP, said in an email Wednesday that funds could be available “upon the government reopening, within 24 hours for most states.” The department did not immediately answer questions about which states might face delays or whether the 24-hour timeline applies to states or directly to the cards used by recipients.
There has been a series of court battles over the fate of the nation’s largest government food program, which serves about 1 in 8 Americans. Here are some key points about the situation:
### When SNAP Funds Become Available Could Vary by State
Seesawing court rulings and changing guidance from the USDA have led to unequal distribution of benefits across states. Some beneficiaries have already received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing. A few states have issued only partial payments.
States report it’s faster to provide full benefits than to do the calculations and computer programming required for partial payments. At least 19 states plus the District of Columbia issued full benefits to at least some recipients last week, according to an Associated Press tally. Many did so within a day, during the narrow window between a Nov. 6 court ruling requiring full payments and a Nov. 7 U.S. Supreme Court decision halting them.
Jessica Garon, spokesperson for the American Public Human Services Association, anticipates most states will be able to issue full benefits within three days after receiving the go-ahead, while others may take up to a week. States that have sent no November benefits yet, such as South Carolina and West Virginia, will likely be the quickest to disburse funds. However, sixteen states have already loaded EBT cards with partial benefits, and some may face technical hurdles issuing the remaining amount, according to Carolyn Vega, a policy analyst at advocacy group Share Our Strength.
### Delays in Benefits Are a Problem for Recipients
For millions of Americans, even knowing benefits are on the way is not enough—when they arrive matters. About 42 million lower-income Americans receive SNAP benefits, averaging around $190 monthly per person. Many say the benefits do not—and are not intended to—cover the full cost of groceries in a normal month, even with careful budgeting. Delays make matters worse.
Doretha Washington, 41, of St. Louis, has a husband and six children, but not enough money to cover all their food needs. Even though her husband works servicing heating and cooling systems, the family relies on SNAP. They had received nothing in November, although Missouri announced Tuesday that partial benefits would be issued.
“Now it’s making things difficult because we can’t pay our bills in full and keep food in here,” Washington said this week. “I’m down to three days of food and trying to figure out what to do.” She has been rationing what they have. Others have turned to food charities, but report long lines and low supplies.
### Cutting Off Funds Left State Governments Scrambling
The USDA told states on Oct. 24 that it would not fund SNAP for November if the shutdown continued, leaving states scrambling. Most Democratic-led states sued to have the funding restored. Both Democratic and Republican-led states also launched emergency efforts, including using state funds to pay for benefits, boosting food banks, and deploying the National Guard to help with food distribution.
Other states used their allotted SNAP money only after a judge ordered the Trump administration to cover the full cost for the month. The legislation to reopen the government, passed by the Senate on Monday, calls for states to be reimbursed for funds spent running programs typically paid for by the federal government. However, it’s not immediately clear which situations will qualify in the case of SNAP.
In the meantime, the USDA told states Tuesday that it would reimburse them for paying out partial SNAP benefits, under a system where recipients get up to 65% of their regular allocations—and even states that paid the full amount can receive partial reimbursements. It also assured states it would not reduce amounts on cards for recipients in states that paid full benefits.
Democratic-led states that sued for benefits to be released said in a filing Wednesday that the late-breaking information “illustrates the chaos and confusion occasioned by USDA’s multiple, conflicting guidance documents.”
*Associated Press reporters Margery A. Beck and David A. Lieb contributed to this story.*
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/12/timeline-for-snap-benefits/