releases: https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-klobuchar-condemn-trump-decision-to-withhold-snap-contingency-funds
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-klobuchar-condemn-trump-decision-to-withhold-snap-contingency-funds | Booker, Klobuchar Condemn Trump Decision to Withhold SNAP Contingency Funds | 2025-10-29 | 2025 | 2025-10 | Democrat | Senate | NJ | Cory A. Booker | B001288 | www.booker.senate.gov | booker | https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press | scraper | WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins condemning the Department’s cruel decision not to use available contingency funds to extend SNAP benefits into November, despite having the legal authority to do so. This decision threatens access to critical food assistance benefits for 42 million Americans. The letter challenges a recent USDA memo stating that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits,” noting that this directly conflicts with prior Department guidance. Last month, the USDA’s 2025 Lapse in Appropriations plan, which is now removed from the Department’s website, stated: “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown. These multi-year contingency funds are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year.” Historical guidance from President Trump’s 2018–19 government shutdown similarly allowed SNAP contingency funds to process applications accepted after the expiration of a continuing resolution. “The removal of this language from USDA’s website, and recent statements from your Administration raise serious concerns about whether the Department plans to unjustly terminate SNAP payments,” the Senators wrote. “Any politically motivated decisions to stop SNAP payments are unacceptable.” The Senators also demanded “the Department immediately provide a complete and detailed legal analysis of your decision to not release the contingency funding for SNAP, including who authorized the removal of past guidance from the USDA’s website.” “Given the USDA’s prior interpretations of the law relating to the use of contingency funding, the recent decision not to fund November benefits seems designed to manufacture a crisis. Using the USDA’s existing contingency funding remains the quickest way to ensure that 42 million Americans receive food assistance in the month of November. We urge you to release this funding immediately,” the Senators concluded. To read the full text of the letter, click here. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T01:40:41Z | 2026-04-06T19:32:54Z |