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The shutdown brought the scale of the federal food aid program into focus and raised questions about how such a rich country could have so many people on nutrition assistance.
Nov. 12, 2025Updated 2:06 p.m. ET
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history brought with it a brawl between President Trump and Democrats in Congress and in the states over food assistance and whether the Trump administration had the authority to cut it off.
So what is the food aid program known as SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program?
From food stamps to SNAP
SNAP, the nation’s biggest anti-hunger program, is funded federally but administered largely by state agencies. In a handful of states, county governments dispense benefits and monitor eligibility.
The program is now used by 42 million low-income people — one in eight Americans — to purchase groceries. People receive benefits electronically each month through an electronic benefits transfer, or E.B.T., card that functions much like a debit card.
The SNAP program is the modern successor to the food stamp program, which dates to 1939 and the New Deal. The name was changed in 2008 “to fight stigma,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Who is eligible?
Eligibility is based on income limits — typically 130 percent of the federal poverty level — and participants are subject to reporting rules and work requirements. In 2025, that 130 percent figure translates into $529 a week for a household of two, or $27,495 a year, according to federal guidelines. The eligibility cutoff is $41,795 for a family of four.
Overall, federal spending on SNAP totaled almost $100 billion in 2024. SNAP recipients receive $187 a month on average.
