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After weeks of uncertainty, millions of Americans could soon start receiving federal nutrition assistance benefits again as Congress moves closer to ending the longest in U.S. history.
The House of Representatives passed a bill to end the shutdown on Wednesday night, and it now heads to President Trump's desk. The shutdown will end once Mr. Trump signs the bill.
The legislation, which the , would restore Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits for November. It also calls for state governments to be reimbursed for any funds they spent to run programs usually paid for by the federal government.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states last month that it would not fund SNAP, better known as food stamps, for November if the shutdown continued. Nearly 42 million Americans receive SNAP payments.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to extend a pause of a federal judge's ruling that ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November. Adding to the confusion for food-stamp recipients, some states have since issued full benefits for November, while others have sent only partial or no payments.
A USDA spokesperson told Autos News that SNAP recipients in most states will get their benefits "within 24 hours" after the government shutdown ends. The Office of Management and Budget did not respond to a request for comment.
Experts told Autos News they expect the flow of benefits to start relatively quickly once the shutdown ends, but noted that the exact timeline could differ by state.
Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), a nonprofit group focused on ending hunger, said states that have already attempted to issue the full November payment should be able to move fast, while others may need a few days to deal with administrative issues.
"States that did not issue full benefits earlier will need to resubmit their files to their EBT vendors for processing, which may take a few additional days," she said.
Crystal FitzSimons, president of FRAC, recommended that food-stamp participants check their state family and social services websites for updates on when payments will go out.
At least 19 states, plus the District of Columbia, issued full benefits to at least some recipients last week, according to . That funding was distributed in the short window between a Nov. 6 court ruling that required the federal government to make full SNAP payments and a ruling the following day by the Supreme Court that blocked the lower court's order.
In addition, 16 states have loaded the EBT cards used in SNAP with partial benefits, the AP reported.
Although federal agencies could soon be set to reopen, experts said the interruption in nutrition aid has already hurt many Americans who lean on SNAP to put food on the table.
"You can't eat retroactively when your SNAP was delayed," Victoria Negus, a senior economic justice advocate at the nonprofit Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, told Autos News. "Getting your [delayed] benefits is better than never getting them at all, but it doesn't help the harm that you experienced in the past."
