The longest and worst government shutdown in U.S. history may be coming to an end. Last night the U.S. Senate voted to end the shutdown, but that doesn’t mean hardships Americans suffered over the past 41 days are over. The bill still has to pass in the U.S. House before it can be signed into law.
One of the programs that has been most impacted by the shutdown – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP – announced it would cease food assistance payments beginning November 1, and the Trump administration intends to enforce that order as long as the shutdown continues.
But the Georgia Department of Human Services said they will follow an earlier federal directive and will issue partial SNAP payments for the month of November beginning today, Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Georgians who didn’t receive benefits on their scheduled payment date this month can expect to see up to 65% of their normal benefits added to their EBT or Bridge cards today.
All other SNAP recipients in Georgia will receive partial payments on their normally scheduled dates for the remainder of the month.
This comes after the Trump Administration vowed to fight a federal ruling to release SNAP payments to low-income Americans and fund the program using government contingency funds. But the USDA issued a warning to states over the weekend informing them that those who make the food assistance payments may be penalized or forced to absorb the costs associated with the federal program.
On Friday, Nov. 7 the Supreme Court granted a request to pause full payments while the appeals court considers the issue. States that began issuing payments after an earlier ruling by two fderal judges have been directed to “immediately undo” any actions they have made to fully fund the SNAP. The Trump administration is ordering states that are sending full SNAP payments with absorbing the costs of the federal programs themselves and theatening them with financial penalties.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has given the Trump administration until 4 p.m. ET on Monday to submit an additional brief to support its request for a stay on a lower court’s ruling that it must pay the November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in full by using funds from other Child Nutrition Programs during the federal government shutdown.
The Trump administration is ordering states that are sending full SNAP payments with absorbing the costs of the federal programs themselves and theatening them with financial penalties.
In lights of the discourse, the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) on Sunday, Nov. 9, announced it will issue partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November to eligible Georgians.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement on Saturday, Nov. 8, that any such payments were “unauthorized” and sending full payments “may result in USDA taking various actions, including cancellation of the Federal share of State administrative costs and holding
The suspension which was to go into effect on November 1, followed an Oct. 28 online directive from the USDA, which stated: “Bottom line, the well has run dry … At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”
The Trump administration maintained that it would not tap into its nearly $5 billion contingency fund to provide benefits to families receiving SNAP, but the court’s ruling to orders the administration to tap into funds to continue funding the program through November. The administration previously said it had no plans to dive into the billions of dollars in contingency funds before the rulings.
The rulings gave the Trump administration until Monday, Nov. 3, afternoon to decide whether to partially or fully fund SNAP benefits for November. A filing from Monday says that USDA will “fully comply” with the judges’ rulings and create a table “to calculate the benefits available for each eligible household in that State.”
The USDA was essentially given two options: tap into the Section 32 Child Nutrition Program to fully fund SNAP benefits for November, or drain the $4.65 billion in contingency funds to partially fund SNAP for the month. The administration went with the latter.
Nearly 1.6 million Georgians rely on SNAP food benefits and the program supports about 42 million low income people throughout the country each month by assisting them with payments for food. That assistance has already seen negative impacts by rising food costs. Adding to the negative impact of delayed payments and rising food costs, changes which have taken effect recently under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill reduces and in some cases eliminates payments altogether.
The new rules decrease the number of Americans who qualify for SNAP by expanding the work exemption from 59 to 65 years old, and the childcare exemption now only applies to parents or guardians of children under 14 when it was previously 18.
People experiencing homelessness and veterans are no longer exempt form the work requirement.
“Many people in America are a single missed paycheck away from needing support from their local food banks,” Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, said when the shutdown started on Oct. 1. “A prolonged shutdown will deepen the strain, and more families will seek help at a time when food banks are already stretched due to sustained high need.”
The government shutdown now entering its fourth week will cause November payments to be delayed. That delay will increase hardships on individuals and families as they approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents can only receive SNAP benefits for 3 months every 3 years unless they meet work criteria. , but pregnant individuals and those unable to work due to a physical or mental condition remain exempt.
It’s important to check your state’s payment schedule to see when your SNAP benefits will arrive this month. If you’re an ABAWD, be aware of the new eligibility rules that could impact how long you can receive assistance.
Check your state’s expected SNAP distribution dates for more details.
 will not receive critical food benefits in November){kind=link}