Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned on Sunday that there might be a chance for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to be restored as early as this week.
“There’s a process that needs to be followed, and we need to understand what that process is,” Bessent told CNN’s Jake Tapper during “State of the Union.” “President Trump aims to ensure that people have access to food.”
When Tapper asked, “Can you finish it by Wednesday?” Bessent responded, “That’s a possibility.”
On Friday, President Trump indicated he was open to funding SNAP if provided with “appropriate legal direction,” following a federal judge’s ruling that emergency funds should be utilized for the program. This comes after the administration had firmly said it would not tap into these funds during the recent government shutdown, which lasted over four weeks.
President Trump shared on Truth Social Friday evening, “Our government lawyers do not believe we have the legal authority to pay the specific funds available to SNAP, and now two courts have issued conflicting opinions on what we can and cannot do.”
“We don’t want Americans to go hungry because Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and reopen the government,” he added.
The USDA’s website indicated that the “well has run dry” for issuing SNAP benefits amid the government shutdown, and it primarily placed the blame on Senate Democrats. Benefits stopped being issued on Saturday.
The website stated, “Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times to defund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The bottom line is that the well has run dry. At this time, there are no benefits to be issued on November 1st.”
This government shutdown has arisen from escalating tensions between Republicans and Democrats regarding Trump’s return to office. SNAP has become a significant issue in funding discussions, affecting nearly 40 million Americans who are facing higher grocery bills.
About $5.25 billion is allocated for SNAP for November, but it falls short of the $9.2 billion that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins indicated is necessary for the program.
