A Department of Agriculture official said that beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive 65% of their normal allotment for November instead of the previously estimated 50%.
Patrick Penn, the department's deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services, disclosed the new rate in a Wednesday night court filing.
On Monday, the Trump administration told a federal judge that it would tap into more than $4 billion in contingency funds to distribute half of November's benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Under the revised figures, a family of four in the contiguous United States will receive approximately $646 in SNAP benefits, or food stamps, for the month.
The reason for the rate change is unclear, but the Justice Department reportedly called it an "error" that it worked to correct "as soon as it was discovered."
Exactly when the SNAP program's more than 40 million recipients would receive the benefits is still unknown, however.
In a social media post on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that it will take "several weeks to execute partial payments."
"Senate Democrats need to quit the games, quit holding American families hostage to ridiculous demands like health care for illegals, and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT," Rollins wrote on X. "Once they do, FULL benefits can get to families without delay."
Now at 37 days, the government shutdown is officially the longest in U.S. history.
Many states, including Louisiana, New Mexico and Vermont, have implemented emergency plans to help SNAP recipients put food on the table amid the funding impasse.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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