The country is facing an unnecessary, self-inflicted emergency: the Trump administration’s refusal to provide food assistance via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to millions of Americans despite clear legal authority and available funding. States, municipalities, nonprofits, courts, and advocates have had to step in to protect the nation’s most vulnerable families.
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1). Republicans called it a victory for taxpayers, claiming it would save money and boost incomes. The reality is the opposite. The law shifts wealth upward on an unprecedented scale, cutting food assistance and health care coverage for millions to pay for massive tax breaks for billionaires and large corporations.
In late September, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) terminated the Food Security Supplement (FSS) to the Current Population Survey (CPS), calling it “redundant” and “extraneous.” Since we began debunking those claims in a blog post, Forsaking Food Security, and in our Rapid Response Data Briefing, additional information has surfaced that further challenges USDA’s rationale.
In recent days, many have asked the question: When will Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits be issued if the parties win their lawsuit against the Trump administration? The short answer is — it depends on the state.
Parents and teachers know that children can’t learn on an empty stomach. Yet that’s what they’re facing if the U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t act immediately to release funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Millions of schoolchildren across the country will go to bed hungry and wake up unprepared to start the school day.