Trump's Government Shutdown Explained
November 18, 2025
South Carolina and North Carolina SNAP Recipients should have receive their benefits. Please let me know f that is true. Thanks
Updated Nov 14, 2025 -Economy
When SNAP recipients will receive full November benefits in each state
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A Houston resident holds her ID card as a beneficiary of the SNAP program while she waits to get free goods from the Houston Food Bank Program at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Nov. 1, 2025. Photo: Moisés Ávila/AFP
The Trump administration directed states last week to "take immediate steps" to ensure households receive full November SNAP benefits, but it's taking a week or longer to actually do so, some state SNAP offices told Axios.
Why it matters: The shutdown's disruption to SNAP has created turmoil for the millions of Americans enrolled in the program, many of whom are still stuck waiting to access their delayed payments.
The latest: "As soon as President Trump signed the bill to reopen the government, money was flowing to States," a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture told Axios on Friday. "USDA stands ready to provide technical assistance if States are struggling to get benefits to families."
Previously, the department had said that most states would get the funds to distribute benefits "within 24 hours" of the shutdown ending.
USDA also said in its Thursday guidance that "the reduction in maximum allotments for November is no longer in effect. State agencies should immediately resume issuing combined allotments for November and December for newly certified applicants who apply after the 15th of the month."
Driving the news: Multiple states told Axios during the shutdown that they would be ready to hit the ground running the moment the government reopened, but logistically, it could take a few extra days before they can dole out full benefits.
Some states have already issued full benefits to their SNAP recipients, however, taking cues from several courts even as the Trump administration protested their orders and threatened future funding to states.
Some states said that they were still waiting on the administration's go-ahead to process full payments.
What they're saying: Ed Bolen, director of SNAP state strategies on the food assistance team at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, told Axios on Wednesday that following the end of the shutdown, "it may take a day or two to actually process the transfer of funds to participants."
He added: "Unfortunately, only two companies handle all issuances around the country, and we are concerned that they may not be able to handle all the remaining states all at once."
Zoom in: Even one delayed payment can add strain for many households enrolled in SNAP.
SNAP recipients — mostly children and elderly Americans, as well as a large share of disabled people — typically spend all of the money the month it's received, Axios' Emily Peck reported.
Here's where every state stands on issuing full SNAP payments for November:
States that have already issued full November payments
Catch up quick: A few states, such as New York, Delaware, Rhode Island, Virginia and Maryland, allocated state funding to SNAP programs before the shutdown ended.
Others began issuing partial or full payments after courts required the Trump administration to resume funding, though the Supreme Court eventually extended an order freezing full benefits.
State of play: States that said they have already fully disbursed November benefits:
Alaska, California, Connecticut, D.C., Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
States with a timeline for disbursing payments
Alabama
Benefits should be available by the end of Thursday, Nov. 13, "after processing of the files is completed, provided there are no unforeseen problems," the state's Department of Human Resources said in a statement.
"Recipients whose issuance date is November 14 or later should receive benefits on their regular issuance day of the month."
Arkansas
SNAP recipients should "expect to receive full benefits for November" late Thursday, Nov. 13 into Friday, Nov. 14, per the Department of Human Services.
Colorado
Recipients can expect funds "as soon as" Thursday, Nov. 13, the Colorado Department of Human Services said in a press release.
Delaware
Recipients can expect funds "as early as" Nov. 18, per Delaware Health and Social Services.
Georgia
SNAP recipients will receive the remainder of their allotment by Tuesday, Nov. 18, the state's DHS said in a statement.
Hawaii
Hawaii issued full benefits to its current SNAP recipients as soon as a Rhode Island judge ruled at the end of October that the Trump administration needed to resume funding the program.
Those who were approved for benefits between Oct. 28 and Nov. 12, however, will "probably see their full SNAP benefits around the middle of next week," the state DHS' deputy director, Joseph Campos II, said.
Plus, all SNAP recipients in the state will receive an additional $250 on their EBT cards, which those waiting for their full benefits should already have access to.
Idaho
Payments are expected to be disbursed no later than Friday, Nov. 14, Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare told Axios.
"Full benefits will be available on EBT cards within 48 hours of funding receipt," said AJ McWhorter, a public information officer at the DHW.
Illinois
Payments are expected to be disbursed by Thursday, Nov. 20, the state's DHS told Axios.
Iowa
The state's Department of Health and Human Services "anticipates that all SNAP benefits will be issued by Friday, Nov. 14."
Kentucky
Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday that full benefits will "certainly" be distributed by the end of the month.
"I mean, we're going to beat that," he said during a press conference. "We're hoping to get it done as quickly as possible."
Beshear "will share more information on timing as it is available from the federal government," Kendra Steele, executive officer of Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said.
Louisiana
Louisiana will distribute outstanding payments "within a week," the state's department of health said on Thursday.
Seniors and disabled residents, who received 25% state-funded assistance between Nov. 1 and Nov. 4, will be allowed to keep that money in addition to their full SNAP payments.
Maryland
Residents will receive "the remainder of the SNAP benefits they are due" on Nov. 18, the state's DHS said in a statement on Friday.
Montana
The state will issue all full payments on Saturday, Nov. 15, Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services told Axios.
Nevada
The governor's office "expects all SNAP benefits to be available within the next few days," it told Axios.
North Carolina
"Approximately 600,000 households should see the full benefit amount loaded on their EBT cards by Friday," the state's DHHS said.
The rest of the 1.4 million recipients in the state will receive them "as soon as we received authorization from the federal government," according to to the department's secretary, Dev Sangvai.
North Dakota
Recipients "could see funds" as soon as Monday evening, Nov. 17, per the state's HHS department.
Jecca Geffre, a spokesperson for the department, told Axios that the government hopes to start by then, but "can only estimate."
Ohio
Ohio's Department of Job & Family Services said on Friday that it is working to complete the distribution of full benefits "by mid-next week."
Oklahoma
"Most Oklahomans can expect to receive the remainder of their November SNAP benefits in about 24 hours," the state's DHS told Axios on Thursday.
Oregon
Recipients waiting on outstanding payments will receive them by Nov. 14.
South Dakota
The state's Department of Social Services has already sent out partial benefits, but is awaiting guidance from USDA before it makes full payments.
They expect that to happen next week, according to Tracy Mercer – O'Daniel, DSS special projects coordinator.
South Carolina
Full benefits will be available Nov. 14 for "Newly approved SNAP households whose benefits were authorized between October 16th and November 13th" and "SNAP households with a monthly issuance date between the 1st and the 14th," according to the state's DSS.
Tennessee
Tennessee will begin administering full November benefits starting Monday, Nov. 17, the state DHS said in a press release.
Utah
Full payments will be issued by Saturday, Nov. 15, according to the state's Department of Workforce Services.
Vermont
Payments will be issued by Friday, Nov. 14, according to the governor's office.
State funding for the period between Nov. 1 and Nov. 15 will not be taken back, the state confirmed to a local NBC outlet.
Virginia
Virginia will issue "all remaining" November benefits by Tuesday, Nov. 18, the state's DSS told Axios.
"Households that did not receive Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA) will receive their full SNAP benefit tomorrow, Saturday, November 15," the department said.
"Households that received VENA in November and a partial SNAP benefit on Thursday, November 13, will receive the remaining balance of their normal SNAP benefits on Tuesday, November 18."
States without a timeline for disbursing payments
Arizona
"The Department of Economic Security (DES) is taking immediate action to issue any outstanding benefits and resume normal SNAP benefit operations," Brett Bezio, a spokesperson for the state's Department of Economic Security, told Axios.
Indiana
Indiana's FSSA directed Axios to its website, which says that "The exact date when the additional funds will be available is still being finalized."
Missouri
"With federal funding back in place, our team is moving swiftly to issue full November benefits," Jess Bax, DSS director, said in a statement.
Nebraska
Shannon Grotrian, director of the DHHS Office of Economic Assistance, said on Thursday that the department will distribute the remaining benefits once the USDA provides final authorization.
Texas
The state's Health and Human Services Commission "is actively preparing to deliver full benefits to SNAP recipients as it reviews updated guidance" from the USDA, the agency said.
Of note: Other states without a timeline are: Florida, Mississippi, and Wyoming.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from USDA, Delaware, Iowa, North Dakota, Maryland, Montana, Ohio and Virginia.
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Trump doesn't give a shit if children go hungry. He doesn't get Walmart's price comparison from 2025 and 2024. Here is the difference:
Compared to the items offered in its 2024 Thanksgiving meal bundle, Walmart's 2025 bundle is missing several items and features more private-label substitutions. The specific items missing from the 2025 Thanksgiving meal list are:
Fresh Produce: Onions (3 lbs), Celery stalks, Sweet potatoes (3 units).
Pantry/Mixes: Chicken broth, Poultry seasoning, Corn muffin mix, Mini marshmallows.
Desserts/Toppings: Marie Callender's Southern Pecan Pie, Great Value Frozen Whipped Topping.
Other Condiments: A larger 6-ounce container of French's Crispy Fried Onions (the 2025 list includes a smaller 4.5-ounce container of Kinder's Fried Onions instead).
Overall, the 2024 package included 29 items, while the 2025 package includes about 15-23 items, depending on the exact list source, at a lower price point and with a heavier reliance on Walmart's private-label Great Value brand in place of some national brands.
ITrump touts cost of Walmart's Thanksgiving meal to vindicate his policies — ignoring a key detail
Nov 6, 2025 — Trump is right — but the 2025 Thanksgiving bundle is also smaller than the 2024 package. This year's package, at less t...
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Walmart Thanksgiving meal 25% cheaper, but contains half as many ...
We miss you Joe! Biden on Trump blocking SNAP benefits during shutdown
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Former President Joe Biden on Trump blocking SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. Update: Supreme Court issues emergency order to block full SNAP food aid payments Details at https://www.whas11.com/article/news/n... #shutdown
Trump CRITICAL GOLF TRIP starts today, but he doesn't care that children go hungry! The Democrats pit an offer on the table that Republicans shot down immediately. Who's at fault?
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✅ Become a member! ✅ / @realchris ⭐ Support independent news today! ⭐ 🔖 See more on my blog! https://norlund.substack.com 🧋 Buy me a coffee 🧋 https://ko-fi.com/norlund ⭐ Check out my book Positive Angle on Amazon. https://www.chrisnorlund.com/book And if you've already read the book, I'd love it if you could leave a review 💌 🪁 Our Vlog Channel / @chrisandyeji 🎞️ My youtube gear and movie list https://www.amazon.com/shop/chrisnorlund 🏠 Start Investing! https://www.chrisnorlund.com/invest Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this video are my own. Content is for education and entertainment. Make decisions suitable for your particular circumstances. PS: Affiliate links and cool kids like you help support the channel. This content is provided by a paid influencer of Interactive Brokers.
rump CRITICAL GOLF TRIP starts today
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October 26, 2025
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A judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately halt its efforts to lay off roughly 4,000 federal workers during the government shutdown, calling the move unlawful. The ruling, issued Wednesday, follows a warning from the Office of Management and Budget director that layoffs could climb “north of 10,000.” #CNN #News
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October 15, 2025
Trump Throws MASSIVE Tantrum With Catastrophic Funding Order In Shutdown Attack
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Donald Trump throws a tantrum over shutdown backlash as he continues to not push a deal with Democrats to end the shutdown but instead launches an attack on Democrat led counties by cutting all funding to critical programs and research grants. John Iadarola and Sharon Reed break it down on The Damage Report. Leave a comment with your thoughts below! Read more here: Trump Renews Threat to Cut ‘Democrat Programs’ During Shutdown - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/us... "Two weeks after the start of the government shutdown, President Trump has seized on the stalemate for political gain, aiming to hurt Democrats while insulating his administration from the costs of the fiscal crisis he helped bring about. Democrats and Republicans remain starkly at odds over how to reopen the government. But unlike previous presidents, Mr. Trump has been unwilling to mediate a truce. He has opted instead to stretch the limits of his power to cushion the blow for agencies and constituencies he supports, while embarking on a retribution campaign against his political foes. That strategy came into clear view on Tuesday, as Mr. Trump publicly renewed his threat to strip away funding from Democrats’ priorities. He promised to release a list on Friday of “Democratic programs” slated for cuts if the government remained closed, saying that some were “never going to open up again.” At the same time, Mr. Trump assured that “Republican programs” would be spared."
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Trump says his administration is "closing up Democrat programs that we disagree with and they're never going to open again." The president says officials will present a list of targeted programs on Friday. Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Read more: https://apnews.com This video may be available for archive licensing via https://newsroom.ap.org/home
Special Series
2025 government shutdown
When will the government reopen? Here's how long past shutdowns lasted
NPR By Rachel Treisman, October 1, 20251:39 PM ET
The federal government shut down on Wednesday for the first time since December 2018. That shutdown lasted for five weeks, until January 2019.
The federal government has shut down for the first time since 2018.
The first shutdown in over five years began just after midnight on Wednesday, after a standoff between Senate Republicans and Democrats over healthcare spending culminated in their failure to pass a pair of last-ditch funding bills.
Both parties are blaming each other, though a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows that more Americans hold Republicans responsible for the impasse.
The federal government has shut down. Here's what will be affected across the country
The shutdown means several hundred thousand federal employees and active-duty service members will work without pay. It throws into question the operating status of sites like national parks and the Smithsonian Institution. And, while services like Social Security benefits and passport applications will continue, they could start to see delays.
Some of those impacts could be felt sooner than others. And it's not clear how long the shutdown could stretch on.
As history shows, multiweek shutdowns are relatively rare, but have become more common in recent decades.
The government's most recent shutdown — from December 2018 to January 2019 — was the longest in history, timing out at 35 days.
It began on Dec. 22, 2018, fueled by Democrats' refusal to meet President Trump's demand for funding to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
It ended on Jan. 25, 2019, after a series of escalating disruptions — including widespread travel delays caused by overworked air traffic controllers calling out sick — and mounting pressure on Trump, including from his own party. He ultimately agreed to a temporary spending deal that reopened the government without funding for the wall.
The five-week impasse cost the U.S. an estimated $3 billion in lost GDP, according to the Congressional Budget Office. It was a partial shutdown, as Congress had passed some bills to fund several agencies before the deadline. This time around, Congress has passed none.
How common — and lengthy — are government shutdowns?
There have been 20 "funding gaps" since Congress introduced the modern budget process in 1976, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB).
But many of those were only a few days long: Since 1981, there have been 10 funding gaps of three days or fewer — mostly over a weekend when the impact to government operations was relatively minimal.
Only a handful of shutdowns have lasted more than two weeks — and they were all within the last 30 years.
The Longest Government Shutdown In History, No Longer — How 1995 Changed Everything
The government shut down twice in 1995: for five days in November and another 21-day window between December and January 1996.
Both of those shutdowns were due to disagreements between President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled House — led by Speaker Newt Gingrich — about how to balance the budget. Republicans, who had just gained a House majority for the first time in 40 years, wanted to cut social programs and repeal Clinton's 1993 tax increase.
The government reopened after Republicans, whom polls showed a majority of Americans blamed, accepted Clinton's compromise proposal. It got the title of the longest shutdown in history and is widely seen as the start of a new era of political gridlock.
After that, the government didn't shut down again for nearly 20 years. But it reached another impasse in 2013, when the Republican-controlled House refused to pass a spending bill that funded the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
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Then-freshman Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas led hard-liners in their opposition to Obamacare, including giving a now-infamous 21-hour protest speech on the Senate floor. Obama and Democratic lawmakers repeatedly rejected Republicans' proposals, leading to a shutdown.
The government reopened after 16 days, thanks to bipartisan negotiations in the Senate that resulted in only minor changes to Obamacare. Then-House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, concluded: "We fought the good fight, we just didn't win."
A 2023 report from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee Democrats found that the shutdown reduced GDP growth by $20 billion and cost the U.S. at least $2 billion in lost work hours.
Government shutdowns are a relatively recent phenomenon
The appropriations process is notoriously complicated, with each of 12 House and Senate subcommittees required to produce a bill to fund particular areas of the government. Those measures must pass both chambers of Congress and get the president's signature before the fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.
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Throughout history, it hasn't been unusual for parts of the federal government to experience lapses in funding when the appropriations process doesn't move quickly enough. But for nearly two centuries, those gaps in funding didn't actually stop the government from operating.
"It was thought that Congress would soon get around to passing the spending bill and there was no point in raising a ruckus while waiting," Charles Tiefer, a former legal adviser to the House of Representatives, told NPR in 2013.
A Short History Of Government Shutdowns
That changed in 1980 and 1981, when U.S. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti singlehandedly established the basis for government shutdowns.
As intensifying political divisions led to recurring funding gaps in the late 1970s, an obscure law called the Antideficiency Act came under increased legal scrutiny. President Jimmy Carter sought Civiletti's advice: Can a federal agency legally allow its employees to keep working in the absence of appropriations?
No, Civiletti wrote in an April 1980 legal opinion.
"It is my opinion that, during periods of 'lapsed appropriations,' no funds may be expended except as necessary to bring about the orderly termination of an agency's functions," he continued.
Poll: Republicans get more of the blame than Democrats for a potential shutdown
The following year, in a second opinion, Civiletti clarified that some government functions could continue during a funding lapse if they were necessary for the "safety of human life or the protection of property."
Civiletti's stance seemingly opened the floodgates. There were eight government shutdowns — none lasting longer than three days — in the 1980s, another three in the 1990s and three more in the 2000s, according to House data.
Civiletti, who died in 2022, said he was surprised to see how many government shutdowns his single opinion — "on a fairly narrow subject" — had ushered in over the decades.
"I couldn't have ever imagined these shutdowns would last this long of a time and would be used as a political gambit," he told the Washington Post in January 2019, amidst the history-making shutdown.
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Terms of UseThe last government shutdown was the longest in nearly 50 years. Here are all the recent shutdowns in one chart
By Gillian Roberts and
Updated Oct 2, 2025
The US federal government remains shut down with a spending deal to reopen it still out of reach on Capitol Hill.
Government shutdown
3
Days
14
Hours
29
Minutes
59
Seconds
The last time the government shut down — which started on December 22, 2018, and went until January 25, 2019 — it lasted 35 days, making it the longest in history. It cost the United States an estimated $3 billion in lost GDP, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Here are all the government shutdowns since 1981
US agencies were first instructed in the early 1980s to stop normal operations during government funding lapses, and resume operations when Congress appropriated more money. The first federal government shutdown happened in 1976, according to CNN research.
While government shutdowns have become less common in recent decades — there have been six since 1990 — an increasingly partisan Washington has left Congress unable to resolve sticking points on spending for longer periods of time.
The US federal government remains shut down with a spending deal to reopen it still out of reach on Capitol Hill.
Government shutdown
3 Days 214 Hours 236 Minutes 232 Seconds
The last time the government shut down — which started on December 22, 2018, and went until January 25, 2019 — it lasted 35 days, making it the longest in history. It cost the United States an estimated $3 billion in lost GDP, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Here are all the government shutdowns since 1981
US agencies were first instructed in the early 1980s to stop normal operations during government funding lapses, and resume operations when Congress appropriated more money. The first federal government shutdown happened in 1976, according to CNN research.
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