Trump Administration Announces 65% Increase in November SNAP Benefits

Recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive an unexpected increase in their monthly payments for November. Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced late Wednesday that maximum allotments will not be cut by 50% as initially planned. Instead, beneficiaries will see a reduction of just 35%.

Details of the November SNAP Benefits Increase

This change means eligible Americans will receive up to 65% of their SNAP benefits for the month, a significant improvement over the previously stated reduction. Patrick Penn, who oversees food and nutrition services at the USDA, confirmed these adjustments in a court declaration.

Reason Behind the Changes

The USDA acknowledged an error in their earlier calculations. After a thorough review, they informed states about the need to adjust how they calculate food benefits for eligible households. This new guidance was communicated to states on Tuesday, following a notification about the benefits reduction.

Legal Intervention and Funding Sources

Prior to this announcement, the Trump administration had warned that food-stamp payments might be delayed due to an ongoing government shutdown, which has lasted 37 days. This shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history. A coalition of municipalities and nonprofit organizations took legal action, leading to a federal judge in Rhode Island directing the USDA to use a contingency fund to ensure benefits continued.

The Justice Department confirmed to the court that the Trump administration would fully utilize SNAP contingency funds. It was reported that around $4.6 billion from these reserve funds would be utilized to cover the adjusted benefits for approximately 50% of eligible households.

Conclusion on SNAP Benefits for November

Thanks to the latest decisions, SNAP recipients will see their benefits maintained at a more generous level than anticipated. The USDA plans to deplete the contingency funds entirely to support reduced SNAP benefits in November 2025.