Uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits leave some Brooklyn residents wary
Judges say the White House must use billions in emergency funds to keep the program running, but it could still take days before families see their benefits again.
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Getting their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits each month is part of the routine of many New York families. It’s money they count on to put food on the table. But this time, some residents say they checked their accounts and saw nothing.
Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to keep funding SNAP, the nation’s largest food aid program, while the government remains shut down. The rulings came just a day before the U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments, citing a lack of money. Judges say the White House must use billions in emergency funds to keep the program running, but it could still take days before families see their benefits again.
Local authorities say residents will be notified about their SNAP status. Any unused benefits will remain available after Sunday.
One Brooklyn business owner told News 12 that his grandfather depends on Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT. The family’s been helping him get by amid the uncertainty.
“We’re just trying to make sure he has what he needs until everything comes back,” he said.
