The Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, in order to comply with restraints from the partial government shutdown, will distribute February’s food stamp benefits early.
On Jan. 20, recipients in states that have filed for early distribution will receive their February benefits rather than at the beginning of the month. The FNS cautions that those who receive the money early from the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program must budget accordingly, as they will not receive any additional benefits in February.
Individuals who file for SNAP benefits after Jan. 20 can still receive benefits as normal through the regular filing process and a reserve of funds withheld specifically for that purpose, but the early payout allows the USDA to ensure all of those in need receive the benefits they file for.
However, with the ongoing partial shutdown, benefits for March are not guaranteed. The food stamp program is funded entirely by the federal government and not by the states.
“At President Trump’s direction, we have been working with the Administration on this solution,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a press release. “It works and is legally sound. And we want to assure states, and SNAP recipients, that the benefits for February will be provided.
Our motto here at USDA has been to ‘Do Right and Feed Everyone.’ With this solution, we’ve got the ‘Feed Everyone’ part handled. And I believe that the plan we’ve constructed takes care of the ‘Do Right’ part as well.”
The USDA is utilizing an early distribution method that states often use in periods of emergency, like expected extreme weather, to help SNAP recipients prepare for periods of limited availability to stores, like during hurricanes or massive snowstorms. This emergency method allowed the USDA to have a familiar system in place to expediently deal directly with states to have funds available for February’s benefits.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, the Washington Examiner erroneously described the Food and Nutrition Service as being under the Food and Drug Administration. The FNS is under the Agriculture Department. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
