The Trump administration will release an estimated $4.8 billion to SNAP recipients on January 20, nearly two weeks early, to ensure they get their February food stamps despite the partial government shutdown, announced Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Tuesday. The USDA said its other public nutrition programs, including WIC, school lunch and food donations, are funded through February, alleviating concerns of hunger among millions of Americans during a protracted shutdown.
“I believe there is ample time for Congress to act,” said Perdue in answering a rhetorical question of what would happen in March.
During a teleconference, Perdue compared early release of SNAP benefits nationwide to USDA’s practice of issuing benefits in advance to individual states when hurricanes loom. Although USDA is not funded at the moment, the White House budget office ruled that a 2018 funding bill empowers USDA to obligate money for 30 days, until Jan 30, after the shutdown began on December 21. “It works and is legally sound,” said Perdue.
“We’re relieved USDA found a way to pay February SNAP benefits, ensuring millions will get the help they need to buy food,” said Stacy Dean of the think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “But, if the shutdown continues, we face the same dilemma in March.”
SNAP was the focus of attention because its $3 billion reserve fund is too small to cover the cost of benefits in full to all recipients, posing the threat that food assistance would be pro-rated. At latest count, 38.6 million people received food stamps, the major U.S. anti-hunger program. Benefits average $123 per person per month.
Under the Trump administration plan, states would halt their usual preparations for February and request early release of the money for February. “We think we will have great success in getting these funds onto peoples’ (EBT) cards,” said Brandon Lipps, acting undersecretary for nutrition, who described state welfare agencies as “committed partners.” Besides money for SNAP recipients, the USDA would pass along $350 million to states for administrative costs.
The February benefits would be available to SNAP recipients on January 20. Lipps said USDA would work with states to assure recipients do not go more than 40 days in a two-month period without receiving benefits. Experts say food-stamp households frequently run out of benefits before the end of the month.
The House is expected to vote on Thursday on a bill to fund USDA and the FDA for the rest of this fiscal year.
Perdue reiterated the administration’s call to fund “an effective physical barrier” along the border with Mexico. President Trump campaigned on a promise to build a wall along the southern border and that Mexico would pay for it.
The USDA said it has sufficient funding for child nutrition programs such as school lunch, for February and March. There is enough money to cover costs for February for WIC and for food deliveries through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.
“The true looming national emergency is America failing to meet the nutritional needs of 38 million SNAP beneficiaries, 22 million free and reduced-price school meal recipients, 7 million WIC recipients, and millions of other beneficiaries of USDA food programs,” said the anti-hunger Food Research and Action Center ahead of the administration announcement.