Will SNAP renew in November? Desperation and anger have grown as government shutdown dragged on

SNAP food assistance was set to lapse in November because of the government shutdown. But on Friday, a judge ordered that contingency funds be used to maintain the benefits.

It has been a tumultuous week for the roughly 42 million people across the country who rely on federal food assistance.

Some breathed a tentative sigh of relief Friday afternoon after a Rhode Island judge ordered the Trump administration to keep funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, nationwide.

The Agriculture Department had warned that it would no longer pay for the benefits, commonly known as food stamps, starting Nov. 1 because Congress has failed to pass legislation to fund the government. The judge, however, told the administration it must distribute contingency funding for the program as soon as possible.

But much remains unknown: President Donald Trump said Friday evening on Truth Social that he had “instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.” Even if the federal government issues the funding, many states are already behind schedule, and it's highly unlikely that anyone who was expecting their SNAP benefits to renew this weekend will get them on time.

Federal judge rules Trump administration must fund SNAP benefits02:31After the stressful week they’ve spent rationing food, collecting donations at food banks and preparing their families to survive on less, several SNAP recipients said they’re not yet changing course.