Oregon has not yet received federal funding for November SNAP benefits, and there’s no clear timeline for when people will receive the funds.
On Monday, the Trump administration signaled it will restore the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — most commonly known as food stamps or SNAP.
That comes after a pair of judges ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to keep the program running after more than two dozen states, including Oregon and Washington, sued the federal government for withholding funds.
Now, the federal government will tap into $4.6 billion in emergency funds. But that’s not enough to cover one month of benefits for the 42 million Americans and more than 750,000 Oregonians who participate in the program. Oregon receives about $142 million per month from the federal government for SNAP.
Instead, the Trump administration is directing states to pay only half the amount people normally get for the month of November.
A spokesperson for Oregon’s Department of Human Services told OPB there’s no clear timeline for when people will get their benefits.
“While the federal guidance specifies a fifty percent benefit level, it is not a simple or automatic calculation,” the spokesperson said in an email. “It will take time for ODHS and our partners to make the technical updates and coordination needed to issue benefits accurately and fairly.”
Gov. Tina Kotek told OPB’s Think Out Loud on Tuesday it could take weeks for Oregonians to receive any payments to their accounts.
“It’s very hard for me to stay calm about this,” she said. “This is unprecedented. We have never had, during a shutdown, the suspension of benefits through the SNAP program.”
On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, that money for SNAP “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government,” seemingly contradicting his own administration’s orders to tap into emergency funds.
Hours later, his press secretary clarified that the administration is complying with the court orders.
Kotek called it an unnecessary political battle.
“I don’t even know where to start with how crazy this is and how unacceptable it is that the Trump administration is not choosing to do the right thing here,” Kotek said. “It’s complete confusion and the people who are suffering are the folks who need food.”
This is all happening after Congress failed to pass a short-term spending package to fund the government, which means programs like SNAP remain unfunded.
As the shutdown drags on, anti-hunger advocates and state leaders warn more people will likely go hungry, and food banks will become overwhelmed.
More than half of the Oregonians enrolled in the program are seniors, children and people with disabilities.
Oregonians can find local food resources by visiting needfood.oregon.gov or alimentos.oregon.gov. They also can check the ODHS webpage for updates.