The Trump administration said Sunday, November 2, 2025, it is working to bring the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program back online after funding lapsed during the ongoing government shutdown.
Officials also highlighted what they described as widespread misuse inside the program and said they are pressing states to tighten eligibility checks so that benefits are reserved for lawful recipients.
SNAP, the nation’s largest food aid program, distributes monthly assistance through Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to tens of millions of people.
Funding crunch and restart timeline
SNAP funding was due to expire over the weekend as the shutdown entered its second month. The scale of the program makes any interruption significant, since it typically supports more than 40 million Americans each month.
Administration officials said reactivating disbursements is a top priority and that agencies are coordinating on legal authorities to use emergency accounts while Congress remains gridlocked.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said SNAP could be restored as early as Wednesday. He said there is a defined process to follow and that the goal is to ensure beneficiaries receive their food benefits without long gaps.
The timetable depends on final legal approvals and the technical steps needed to restart payments across state systems and retailer networks.
Rollins presses states for data
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department sent letters to every governor instructing that “no illegal aliens can use SNAP, zero, zero, zero,” and asked states to transmit detailed eligibility data.
Rollins said 29 states have provided the requested files so far. According to her account, USDA is using those submissions to cross-check identity records and flag irregular EBT activity for investigation.
Rollins said the department will keep pressing the remaining states to comply. She argued that comprehensive state data is necessary to produce a national picture of participation and error rates, and to identify cases where records do not match immigration status, residency, death files, or income thresholds.
Misuse findings and oversight measures
Rollins said investigators uncovered “thousands and thousands” of instances of illegal EBT use, removed about 700,000 people from SNAP since President Trump took office, and made approximately 118 arrests in fraud probes.
She added that auditors found roughly 5,000 deceased individuals still listed as receiving benefits, a category the department said it is addressing with enhanced data matching.
USDA’s oversight teams and state partners routinely pursue trafficking cases in which retailers exchange cash for benefits, as well as identity theft and eligibility fraud. Officials said these enforcement channels remain active during the shutdown.
States can impose administrative sanctions, demand repayment for over-issuances, and refer criminal cases when warranted. Rollins said the objective is to ensure that resources reach those who are truly needy, while protecting taxpayers from waste.
Who receives SNAP and recent costs
USDA figures show about 41.7 million people rely on SNAP in an average month, or roughly one in eight households. The highest shares of beneficiaries are in New Mexico, Washington, D.C., and Louisiana, followed by Oregon, based on agency data.
Adults ages 18 to 59 account for the largest recipient group at 42 percent. Many participants rely on other programs as well, with 61 percent receiving income from Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or state assistance.
Spending rose during the pandemic and its aftermath. Under former President Joe Biden, federal outlays reached $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022, reflecting emergency allotments and benefit updates. Last year, SNAP cost $99.8 billion, with monthly benefits averaging $187 per participant, according to federal figures. Those totals reflect both enrollment levels and the formula used to calculate benefits.
