The Trump administration’s fight to limit food stamp funding during the federal shutdown has triggered a surge of demand at food banks nationwide as millions of Americans face uncertainty about how they will afford groceries.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were halted on November 1st as a result of the government shutdown, according to the US Department of Agriculture, marking the first time the program was put on pause as a result of a government shutdown.
On Friday, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court order that would have forced the administration to fully fund SNAP for November.
SNAP typically costs about $9 billion a month. The administration had planned to cover only 65 percent of benefits using contingency funds.
However, US District Judge Jack McConnell in Rhode Island ordered full funding by tapping agriculture reserves – a mandate critics called vital to protect food security for 42 million Americans, or one in eight US households.
The pause in benefits gave the White House more time to argue against the full funding mandate, which the administration appealed, calling the ruling unconstitutional and arguing that courts could not appropriate funds.
SNAP cost about $9 billion a month to run. The administration had planned to cover only 65 percent of benefits using contingency funds, but US district judge Jack McConnell in Rhode Island ordered full funding by tapping agriculture reserves.
The administration appealed, calling the ruling unconstitutional and arguing that courts could not appropriate funds.
‘This situation is catastrophic,’ Monica Lopez Gonzales, chief marketing and communications officer at Feeding America told Fortune. ‘Right now 42 million people are having a hard time affording groceries, and their lives are being disrupted because their benefits have been disrupted.’
Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief network (operating 200 food banks and 60,000 pantries), reported a sixfold spike in traffic to its online food-bank locator since the shutdown began, with more than 28,000 daily visitors seeking help.
‘The lines are getting longer, and the food is running out early,’ Gonzales said. ‘We see veterans, older adults, moms, and kids – everyone was stressed.’
Feeding America warns the bureaucratic fight ignores the immediate reality as it warned that nearly 50 million Americans already faced hunger, including 14 million children.
Polling shows 83 per cent of affected households were skipping meals or buying less food, and 85 per cent were resorting to cheaper, less nutritious options.
‘SNAP is the first line of defense against hunger,’ Gonzales said. ‘When it’s disrupted, every other part of the safety net shakes.’
With the shutdown looking set to continue Feeding America urged donations, advocacy, and volunteer support to help meet soaring demand.
‘Anything that we do cannot replace SNAP,’ Gonzales stressed. ‘We need everyone – government, business, and communities – to work together so we could finally end hunger in America.’
Trump administration’s push to limit food stamp funding sparked a surge in demand at food banks across the country during the federal shutdown
Monica Lopez Gonzales of Feeding America called the situation ‘catastrophic’
Volunteers work in an assembly line rotation to prepare grocery carts at Adams County Emergency Food Bank in Commerce City, Colorado, on October 31, 2025
