Trump: SNAP Benefits to be Held until Shutdown Ends

In a Truth Social post Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump said that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!”

The President’s full post said:

SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly “handed” to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT

His message came just after the Trump administration had announced it would partially fund SNAP benefits for November following two federal court rulings that blocked a full cutoff.

Under those rulings, USDA was ordered to dip into a contingency fund to preserve part of the benefit flow. But Trump’s post appears to reject that judicial direction—placing tens of millions of households in peril.

While millions depend on SNAP, the program has long faced scrutiny over waste, abuse, and mismanagement. A 2024 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated that 11.7 percent—roughly $10.5 billion—of SNAP payments in fiscal year 2023 were “improper” (i.e., made in the wrong amount or to ineligible households).

More recently, an article on Zero Hedge claimed that USDA efforts had uncovered fraud on a massive scale, leading to the purging of 700,000 ineligible SNAP recipients. The article also alleged that illegal immigrants had accessed benefits in multiple states, that deceased people had continued to receive benefits, and that state cooperation with audits varied widely.

USDA itself has publicly affirmed its commitment to targeting fraud. In May 2025, the agency issued a statement: “Fraud will not be tolerated by the Trump Administration. I want to thank our hardworking law enforcement officers who work every day to ensure federal benefits are properly distributed and safeguard taxpayer dollars from criminals,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “President Trump is restoring law and order. At USDA we are fighting back against fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars and ensuring those who need and qualify for benefits, actually receive them.”

These issues complicate the political arguments over SNAP. Critics of the sudden cutoff point to the known flaws and misuse within the system, saying that oversight reform should accompany any effort to restrict funding.

Alabama, like many States, faces immediate fallout from this dispute. Over 750,000 Alabamians rely on SNAP for groceries each month.

Thus far, Alabama’s leaders have declined to step in to protect the benefits themselves. The State is not among those planning to bridge the gap if federal SNAP support halts.

Gina Maiola, communications director for Gov. Kay Ivey, has stated: “As Alabama DHR noted, SNAP benefits are 100% federally funded, and therefore, U.S. Food and Nutrition Services controls the issuance of these benefits on EBT cards … the State does not have extra money to do Congress’ job.”

Local governments and nonprofits are racing to fill in. In Birmingham, Mayor Randall Woodfin asked the City Council for $1 million in emergency food aid and launched a drive to assist about 23,000 residents who could lose benefits. In Montgomery, City officials are coordinating with the Heart of Alabama Food Bank and other agencies to direct relief where it's needed most. The Birmingham Islamic Society is planning to distribute 35,000 meals to those in need on Saturday.

Churches, pantries and county agencies across the State are scheduling extra distributions. Small community programs—from Jasper diners offering free meals for kids to parish pantries—are already expanding hours and stockpiles. Expect more drives this week.

If you or someone you know suddenly needs help, local officials suggest these first steps:

1. Check the Alabama DHR website for official updates on benefit suspensions and recertification rules. 
2. Contact your city’s social services office or mayor’s office page for local food-drive dates and drop-off locations. (Birmingham and Montgomery both posted resource pages.)
3. Call or text national locator services such as WhyHunger (1-800-548-6479) to find nearby pantries and meal sites.

Meanwhile, food pantries and banks have already seen rising demand. In Elmore County, the food pantry boosted its emergency boxes from weekly to multiple times per week. “Anytime someone comes in and says, ‘Hey, I really need help,’ … We’ve got a box ready for them,” said the pantry director.In West Alabama, mobile pantries have increased operations from three per week to five or six.

The Alabama Legislative Black Caucus has pushed Governor Ivey to call a special legislative session to authorize emergency funding or tap Alabama’s Rainy Day Fund, but thus far she has declined to do so.

ALPolitics.com will continue actively sharing all Facebook posts related to food distribution across Alabama (that we see) on our Facebook page to help in getting this information out to as many people as possible. Organizations with information they wish to share may submit this to: Editor@ALPolitics.com.