Governor Josh Shapiro announced on Friday that Pennsylvania has begun issuing November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits following a federal court ruling that ordered the Trump Administration to release all withheld funds nationwide.
The ruling, handed down Thursday, required the federal government to distribute 100 percent of November SNAP payments after weeks of uncertainty caused by the ongoing federal government shutdown. Shapiro directed the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) to act immediately to get benefits to residents.
As of Friday afternoon, about $100 million in benefits had already been transferred to the state’s SNAP vendor, and payments were being loaded onto recipients’ electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards. The benefits are being distributed on the state’s regular schedule over the first 10 business days of the month.
“No Pennsylvanian should go hungry because of federal inaction and Congressional Republicans’ failure to pass a budget,” Shapiro said. “Despite the daily chaos and confusion from the Trump Administration around SNAP, my Administration is working quickly to get payments moving for nearly two million families, seniors, and children who rely on SNAP to help put food on the table.”
Recipients can check their balances and secure their cards through the ConnectEBT app or website. DHS Secretary Val Arkoosh urged families to keep cards locked when not in use to prevent theft.
Shapiro’s administration has also taken steps to strengthen food security amid the shutdown, including signing a disaster declaration, directing $5 million in state funding to food banks, and launching the SNAP Emergency Relief Fund, which has raised more than $2 million in private donations.
Pennsylvania joined 24 other states and Washington, D.C., in suing the Trump Administration for unlawfully suspending payments and failing to use billions in contingency funds available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“It is a relief that November benefits can now be issued,” Arkoosh said, “but there is still more work to do to ensure stability for December and beyond.”
About SNAP Benefits in Pennsylvania
Since its creation in 1964, SNAP has been fully funded by the federal government, with benefits administered by the states. Each month, SNAP provides more than $366 million in benefits to help nearly two million Pennsylvanians feed themselves and their families — including more than 713,000 children and 697,000 older adults. More than $4.3 billion in SNAP benefits were issued over the course of state FY2024-25. In total, roughly 42 million people in the U.S. receive SNAP benefits each month.
Source: pa.gov
This is not true because it was stopped Friday night and not everyone was lucky enough to receive the funds so still waiting for benefits to be restored . People need to be cautious when the make a press conference announcement and get the hopes of people involved up when it’s false hopes. Governor Shapiro should have said nothing.