Des Moines Area Religious Council set a single-day record Monday for the most people assisted, as November SNAP benefits were not delivered over the weekend due to the government shutdown. With 2,494 unique individuals assisted, this was the busiest day on record in the 50-year history of the network of Des Moines metro pantries.
On Friday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fund SNAP benefits with emergency funds and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday it would provide partial payments to households who use SNAP, from a roughly $4.5 billion contingency fund. Groups suing the USDA said the delayed partial benefits did not comply with the court order, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Trump backtracked on social media Tuesday saying benefits would not be funded until the government reopens, but the USDA said in court filings late Tuesday it would continue with a plan to distribute partial benefits, the Capital Dispatch reports…