President Trump is committed to ensuring that low-income Americans receive their food stamp benefits, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stating that he “could” tap into a contingency fund as early as Wednesday.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Bessent shared, “President Trump has expressed his eagerness to get this done and address the funding lapse.”
“There is a process that needs to be followed. We need to determine what the process is. President Trump is adamant about ensuring that people receive their food benefits.”
Recently, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Department of Agriculture to access an emergency fund to make partial payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which had depleted its funds due to the government shutdown.
The judge mandated that the Trump administration make partial SNAP payments by Wednesday.
Previously, the Department of Agriculture had stated in a memo that it lacked the legal authority to access funding for SNAP.
Bessent clarified that Trump has no plans to challenge the ruling and urged Democrats to reopen the government to prevent the SNAP shortfall.
“The most effective way for Snap benefits to be distributed is for five Democrats to come together and reopen the government,” he emphasized.
