Trump Pulls Back on Snap Funding as Families Brace for Hunger
A day after his own administration said it would follow a federal court order and fund half of current SNAP benefits, former President Donald Trump reversed course — posting on Truth Social that he won’t release emergency food assistance until his government shutdown ends.
The abrupt shift puts millions of families in limbo, including 16 million children who rely on SNAP to eat. Soon after the post, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to walk back the statement, saying the administration would comply with the court order but that it would take “some time.”
Democrats blasted the move. DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer said Trump is “telling millions of Americans that he could stop them from going hungry, but he doesn’t feel like it,” calling the hunger crisis “cruel and preventable.”
The reversal follows two lawsuits — including one led by Democratic attorneys general — forcing the administration to partially restore benefits. Trump’s recent budget already enacted the largest food-assistance cuts in U.S. history.
With Republicans controlling the White House and Congress, critics say the blame for the shutdown and stalled aid falls squarely on Trump. Meanwhile, families across the nation remain unsure how they’ll afford their next groceries as political tension deepens and hunger rises.
