PITTSBURGH, PA – After two judges ruled Friday against the Trump Administration’s decision to halt food assistance funding during the federal shutdown, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis is urging the federal government to immediately make funding available to provide November benefits to the millions of Pennsylvanians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“State government can do a lot, but we cannot backfill the loss of federally funded SNAP benefits caused by the federal government shutdown,” said Davis, who spoke at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank today. “It should not have taken a lawsuit to make the federal government use available funding for SNAP benefits. Now that the courts have ruled, I encourage the Trump Administration to follow the law, listen to the courts and pay up. The Governor and I will continue to fight for every single penny that is owed to the good people of Pennsylvania.”
Last week the Shapiro-Davis Administration joined a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump Administration for unlawfully suspending SNAP, and refusing to use billions of dollars in Congressionally appropriated contingency funds. Two federal judges ruled separately but similarly Friday, ordering the Trump Administration to fund SNAP for November, giving them the option of partially or fully funding the food assistance program. Today, the Trump Administration said it would partially fund SNAP benefits, but the distribution of those dollars to recipients’ Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards could take weeks.
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced on Friday that his Administration will drive out $5 million in state funding immediately to Feeding Pennsylvania to distribute through its network of food banks across the Commonwealth, including the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
“Cutting off SNAP benefits not only hurts two million Pennsylvania seniors, veterans, and families with children, it hurts the farm families, and those who hold the 12,000 grocery industry jobs across the state supported by SNAP spending,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “The Shapiro-Davis Administration is fighting to make life better for Pennsylvania families and children, not taking away benefits that provide their next meal. We are calling on the Trump Administration to fight with us, not against us.”
“Failing to fund SNAP is an avoidable crisis that affects our economy, our workforce, and, most directly, the health and wellbeing of the nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians who use this program to keep food on their tables," said Department of Human Services Special Assistant Stephanie Meyer. "As we await direction to hopefully begin to leverage contingency funding, I urge those who are able to build on Governor Shapiro’s emergency investment and support our charitable food network. Food banks like the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and other anti-hunger organizations do life-saving work every day, but especially now through this unprecedented disruption to SNAP. We are grateful for their dedication to their communities, and we urge Congress and the Trump Administration to work quickly to end this unnecessary cruelty."
In addition, this morning Davis led a required meeting of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council to review the Governor’s proclamation of disaster emergency, which will expedite the delivery of state funding and ensure relief reaches Pennsylvanians as quickly as possible. The declaration will allow state resources to be driven out more quickly, streamline contracting, and provide the Governor with additional tools to address the harm caused by the federal government shutdown.
"With a surge in people turning to us and local food pantries as SNAP benefits lapse, the charitable feeding network is working hard to help our neighbors navigate this time," said Lisa Scales, president and CEO of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. "The emergency funding from the state will help infuse more food into the network, which is an important step toward meeting the enormous need."
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.
Beyond helping families put food on the table, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that every $1 billion in SNAP benefits generates $1.54 billion in economic activity through job retention and creation, income for farmers, and sales for food retailers.
Despite the ongoing shutdown, SNAP recipients with unspent funds on their EBT cards will still be able to use these funds. SNAP benefits do not expire at the end of each month and are able to be spent for a calendar year. DHS strongly encourages SNAP recipients to keep their card locked with the ConnectEBT app or website to protect their benefits when the card is not in use.
DHS will continue to process applications for SNAP and other benefits during the shutdown. Benefits will not be paid until the federal government shutdown ends, but for those who qualify, applying for SNAP during the shutdown is the fastest way to receive benefits as soon as possible once the shutdown is over.
SNAP recipients should continue to report case changes, submit any semi-annual reviews or renewals they receive during this period, and update their cases for the new federal work reporting requirements that started Nov. 1 to not risk an interruption of their benefits in the future.
