WASHINGTON, D.C. — Donald Trump’s USDA has instructed state SNAP agencies not to distribute November benefits. As a result, SNAP beneficiaries in New Jersey will begin missing benefits tomorrow. SNAP is vital to more than 820,000 recipients in New Jersey, the vast majority of whom are children, seniors, or people with disabilities.
In response to this attack on New Jerseyans and SNAP beneficiaries nationwide, the Democratic members of New Jersey’s Congressional Delegation, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Andy Kim (D-NJ), and U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Rob Menendez (NJ-08), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Herb Conaway Jr. (NJ-03), and Nellie Pou (NJ-09), released the following joint statement:
“Families count on the few dollars a day SNAP provides to help put food on the table—starting tomorrow they won’t receive that help. Trump is using the shutdown he and congressional Republicans have inflicted on the country as an excuse to do what he’s always wanted: Slash benefits that people rely on.
“This heartless decision by the administration to stop SNAP benefits just before Thanksgiving will put immense strain on families, food banks, and pantries during what is already a busy season.
“Despite the dangerous misinformation coming from Trump’s USDA, the agency has both the authority and obligation to fund November benefits—this is why Congress created an emergency fund in the first place.
“In Congress, Democrats stand ready to fund the government, deliver for Americans, and protect vital programs like SNAP. We urge Republicans, including Kean, Smith, and Van Drew, to stop playing with their constituents’ lives and come to the negotiating table immediately.”
USDA has both the authority and obligation to fund November benefits. The independent Government Accountability Office, federal appropriations law, and legal experts all make clear that the SNAP contingency fund and USDA’s legal transfer authority can be used to fund benefits during a shutdown. The USDA’s own shutdown plan acknowledged this authority until it was removed from the USDA’s official website. Earlier this year, Republicans enacted a $186 billion cut to SNAP—the largest cut in the program’s history. The announcement that USDA will not send payments for November SNAP benefits is the latest attack on the program.
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