More than 64,000 MoveOn members have signed the petition demanding that Trump and the USDA fully fund SNAP benefits—add your voice now!
Dear MoveOn member,
A federal judge has once again ordered the Trump administration to fully fund food assistance this month, but the Justice Department has said it is planning to appeal the ruling.1 Trump wants to withhold funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown despite multiple court rulings requiring the administration to tap into contingency funds and keep families fed.2
Trump has made it clear he is willing to withhold payments completely, in defiance of the courts.3 Breaking the law to make Americans go hungry—and using children's lives as a bargaining chip—is horrifying and cruel.
The average SNAP household receives $332 a month—a lifeline that makes it possible to pay rent, cover bills, and still put food on the table.4 Without it, families are being forced into impossible situations with no support in sight.
The USDA and Trump must tap into additional contingency funds to ensure Americans can put food on the table. Will you add your name to demand that full disbursements are made to keep families safe and fed?
The back-and-forth over SNAP funding has created deep uncertainty for the millions of Americans waiting for their benefits, and it's putting huge strains on community food pantries that are scrambling to fill in the gaps.5
Even as communities rally to fund and support local food banks, experts warn that for every meal a food bank provides, SNAP supplies nine—making it impossible to ensure that families will get the help they need without this vital program.6
Sign the petition to demand the USDA use additional funds to provide full SNAP benefits immediately.
Thanks for all you do.
–RuralOrganizing.org
P.S. We need to keep up the pressure to make sure the Trump administration is held accountable for the families who will suffer without this funding. Send a letter to your member of Congress to demand action from the USDA and the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP now!
Sources:
1. "Judge Orders Trump Administration to Fully Fund Food Stamps This Month," The New York Times, November 6, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/us/politics/snap-food-stamps-shutdown-trump.html
2. "Trump Administration to Send Only Partial Food Stamp Payments This Month," The New York Times, November 3, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/us/politics/snap-food-stamps-trump.html
3. "The White House says it will make some SNAP payments after Trump threatened to defy a court," The New York Times, November 4, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11/04/us/trump-shutdown-news#cities-nonprofits-food-stamp-snap-payments
4. "Characteristics of SNAP Households: Fiscal Year 2023," USDA, May 2, 2025
https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/snap/characteristics-fy23
5. "With the outlook for SNAP benefits uncertain, food banks are warning of a crisis," NPR, November 1, 2025
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/01/nx-s1-5591434/snap-benefits-food-banks
6. "Food bank director warns pantries are running out of food early amid SNAP crisis," MSNBC, November 2, 2025
https://www.msnbc.com/weekends-with-alex-witt/watch/food-bank-director-warns-pantries-are-running-out-of-food-early-amid-snap-crisis-251152453651
Dear MoveOn member,
Right now, 42 million Americans across the country are bracing for something they should never have to fear: the Trump administration ripping access to food out from under them.7
The Trump administration is refusing to keep essential food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) running during the government shutdown—preventing millions of families from putting meals on the table. SNAP recipients could be forced to skip meals and decide whether to use limited budgets to "buy groceries, pay rent, fill prescriptions or turn on the heat."8
Meanwhile, Trump is busy tearing down the White House to build a grand ballroom for him and his billionaire buddies.
This is a catastrophic situation for Americans nationwide who are facing an entire month without a way to pay for everyday essentials. Will you tell USDA to use the SNAP contingency fund to keep food assistance running?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has the power and legal obligation to keep SNAP funded using its $5 billion contingency fund.9 During previous shutdowns, regardless of the party in power, USDA guidance has indicated that the contingency reserve is available to ensure that no one goes hungry.10
By refusing to release the contingency fund, the Trump administration is deliberately putting families, children, and seniors at risk, in order to score political points and pressure Congress into passing a harmful budget that would make even further cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid.11
This isn't governance—it's cruelty. And it’s hitting communities across America, especially in rural areas, where families rely on SNAP at even higher rates.12
This administration is playing politics with people's basic needs. Add your name now and demand the USDA release SNAP contingency funds immediately.
Just this week, a coalition of more than a dozen Democratic attorneys general and governors filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to suspend federal food benefits during the shutdown.13
This is a direct attack on the most vulnerable people in our country. Twelve percent of Americans benefit from SNAP, and 39% of recipients are children.14 The loss of these critical benefits will have cascading impacts as families are forced to take on debt, fall behind on rent, and turn to already overrun food banks.15
Experts have argued that the administration is legally required to tap into the USDA's contingency reserves, saying it "could have, and should have, taken steps weeks ago" to prepare for this potential hunger crisis.16
The Trump administration has a clear lever they can pull in order to fund SNAP immediately and support families—it is imperative that they use it to prevent millions of Americans from going without groceries this November.
Tell Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins: Stop playing politics with people's lives. Release the contingency fund and keep food assistance programs running.
Thanks for all you do.
–RuralOrganizing.org
Sources:
7. "Democratic AGs and governors sue USDA for suspending SNAP benefits," NPR, October 28, 2025
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/27/nx-s1-5587255/snap-benefit-shutdown-contingency-fund-food-stamps
8. "Here's why the shutdown has put food stamp benefits at risk," CNN, October 29, 2025
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/politics/snap-benefits-food-stamps-explainer
9. "SNAP's Contingency Reserve Is Available for Regular SNAP Benefits, as USDA and OMB Have Ruled in Past," Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, October 27, 2025
https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/snaps-contingency-reserve-is-available-for-regular-snap-benefits-as-usda
10. Ibid.
11. "Republicans are making changes to SNAP and Medicaid. County officials say they're not prepared to handle it," Politico, September 27, 2025
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/27/trump-snap-medicaid-county-cuts-00582624
12. "SNAP's Critical Role in Rural Communities — and the Consequences of Cuts," Food Research and Action Center, August 25, 2025
https://frac.org/blog/snaps-critical-role-in-rural-communities-and-the-consequences-of-cuts
13. "Democratic AGs and governors sue USDA for suspending SNAP benefits," NPR, October 28, 2025
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/27/nx-s1-5587255/snap-benefit-shutdown-contingency-fund-food-stamps
14. "Who will be impacted by food stamps running out? SNAP recipients by the numbers," USA Today, October 28, 2025
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/10/28/snap-runs-out-impact-food-stamp-recipients/86943125007/
15. "Food banks brace for 42 million without SNAP," Axios, October 27, 2025
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/27/government-shutdown-snap-food-banks
16. "Trump Administration Is Legally Required to Provide SNAP in Shutdown, Contrary to Its Claims," Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, October 23, 2025
https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/trump-administration-is-legally-required-to-provide-snap-in-shutdown-contrary-to
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