The White House is clarifying comments from President Donald Trump about the future of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments during the ongoing government shutdown.
On Tuesday morning, Trump said benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government.”
That statement appeared to contradict what the government told a federal judge on Monday, when officials said they would begin using contingency funds to continue paying benefits after facing lawsuits from nonprofits and more than two dozen states.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was referring to future payments, not the ones currently being processed.
“The administration is fully complying with the court order. I just spoke to the president about it,” Leavitt said. “The recipients of the SNAP benefits need to understand it’s going to take some time to receive this money.”
Leavitt continued to blame Democrats for the shutdown, saying the party has put the administration in an “untenable position.”
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“We are digging into a contingency fund that is supposed to be for emergencies, catastrophes, for war,” she said. “And the president does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future.”
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rolling said Tuesday that her department has sent guidance to states on how to access and disburse the funds.
“This will be a cumbersome process, including revised eligibility systems, state notification procedures, and ultimately, delayed benefits for weeks,” Rolling said. “But we will help states navigate those challenges.”
