Partial SNAP benefits will be more than previously estimated, Trump official says

Recipients will receive 65% of their benefits this month, up from the 50% rate estimated in a Monday court filing, amid the record-long government shutdown.

An official with the Agriculture Department told a federal court Wednesday that allotments to SNAP beneficiaries for November will be 65% of their normal rate instead of the 50% previously estimated by the Trump administration.

The administration had told a federal judge Monday that it would use more than $4 billion in contingency funds to distribute half of the monthly benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, during the ongoing government shutdown.

The revised figures mean a family of four in the lower 48 states will receive about $646 for the month.

It’s unclear what prompted the change, but the Justice Department is calling it an “error” that it worked to fix “as soon as it was discovered.”

The new rate was disclosed in a court filing Wednesday night by Patrick Penn, the Agriculture Department's deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services.