The Trump administration used a legislative loophole to issue February SNAP benefits in advance during the partial federal shutdown. With USDA funding set to expire at the middle of this month, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Tuesday that early release of March benefits may be necessary too.
“We may have to do the same thing we did” in January, said Perdue when reporters asked if benefits would be released early for March. Funding for a quarter of the government, including USDA, is tied up in a dispute over President Trump’s plan for a wall along the border with Mexico. Some 38.6 million Americans received food stamps at latest count, with an average benefit of $123 a month.
The think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says up to 30 million SNAP recipients could go as long as 40 days between early arrival of February benefits and their regular date for benefits in March. Some households will run low on food, said the think tank. “In turn, this will place additional strain on the emergency food network and other community resources, which are already stretched,” it said.