Update at 10:15 am:Â The Trump Administration today told a federal judge it will be providing partial SNAP benefits this month in response to the federal government shutdown. Two federal judges ruled on Friday that the administration must utilize $5.25 billion in an existing emergency fund before cutting off SNAP entirely. It is not enough to cover the full November price tag, estimated to be around $9-billion. Recipients should anticipate benefit reductions this month, with more specifics to be released.
Original story posted at 6:35 am: Washington, DC — More details should be known today about what the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will look like this month during the federal government shutdown.
The Associated Press reports that President Donald Trump’s Administration faces Monday deadlines to tell a pair of federal judges if it will use emergency reserves to fully fund SNAP.
Nationwide, the program costs around $8 billion per month, and in California serves around 5.5 million people through CAL Fresh. We reported last week that in Tuolumne County, there are 4,432 active CAL Fresh cases, serving 6,598 individuals as of October 2025, according to Tuolumne County Health and Human Services Agency Director Annie Hockett.
On Friday, judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ruled separately that the administration must continue to pay for SNAP, but gave the administration flexibility on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November.
The USDA, which oversees the program dollars, had earlier stated that the agency could no longer fund it due to the shutdown.
The federal shutdown has now lasted over a month.
