U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, issued a statement following a District Court ruling that requires the Administration to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to Americans in need for November.
“The court’s decision confirms what we have said all week: The administration is choosing not to feed Americans in need, despite knowing that it is legally required to do so,” said Klobuchar. “The court was clear: the administration is ‘required to use those Contingency Funds as necessary for the SNAP program.’ They now have no excuse to withhold food assistance from Americans. If they decide not to issue SNAP, it is purely a cruel political decision, not a legal one. They should immediately act — as the court has required — to ensure food assistance continues to go to families in need.”
Senator Klobuchar had previously joined Senators Cory Booker and Ben Ray Luján, along with 43 other senators, urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to release available funds so that SNAP could be funded through November. She also opposed USDA’s earlier decision not to use contingency funds for extending SNAP benefits into November.
According to information from the Administration’s funding plan—which has since been removed—Congress intended for SNAP operations to continue during funding lapses because multi-year contingency funds are available for both benefits and state administrative costs if there is a government shutdown.
Klobuchar also worked with Senator Luján and others in introducing legislation titled the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025. This bill aims to prevent the Trump administration from withholding funds designated for SNAP and WIC programs. Additionally, she co-sponsors another related bill by Senator Hawey called the Keep SNAP Funded Act of 2025.
