The horror stories are all over the media and social platforms, and people are panicking that those receiving taxpayer-funded groceries may soon have to work and pay for their food like everyone else. Not only is President Trump not rushing to restart food stamps, but he is also auditing the program to ensure illegal aliens are no longer receiving them.
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as food stamps, is the federal government’s largest anti-hunger program, providing monthly food benefits to roughly 42 million low-income Americans through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards. As of October 1, 2025, recipients receive maximum monthly SNAP allotments of $298 for one person, $546 for two people, $785 for three people, $994 for four people, $1,183 for five people, $1,421 for six people, $1,571 for seven people, and $1,789 for eight people, with an additional $218 for each additional person.
Now, SNAP is on the verge of running out of funding. Nearly 42 million recipients could lose their benefits as the federal shutdown continues. Funding for October was distributed to states before the shutdown began on October 1, but unless Congress restores appropriations, benefits will stop being issued on November 1.
In a letter dated October 10, 2025, USDA Acting Head of SNAP Ronald Ward warned, “If the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the nation.” Several states, including Texas, have already announced that SNAP benefits will be suspended if the shutdown extends past October 27.
The shutdown itself stems from Democrat refusal to fund the government unless President Trump reverses new eligibility restrictions that bar illegal aliens from federal assistance programs. Trump, meanwhile, is using the shutdown to audit and tighten oversight of every major welfare and benefit program, insisting that taxpayer funds must go only to citizens and lawful residents.
On April 24, 2025, USDA Acting Deputy Under Secretary John Walk issued guidance directing all state agencies to enhance identity and immigration verification practices when determining SNAP eligibility. States are now required to obtain more reliable documents to verify identity, prevent fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, and make greater use of the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. USDA Secretary Rollins cited a Government Accountability Office report showing $10.5 billion in improper SNAP payments in fiscal year 2023, roughly 12 percent of total benefits that year, with inadequate verification of applicants’ identity and citizenship identified as a key problem.
In July 2025, the USDA expanded its data collection requirements, ordering states to provide five years of SNAP records, including all household members’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and addresses. At least 27 states have complied, turning over data that USDA is now cross-checking against DHS records through the SAVE system.
While illegal aliens are already ineligible for SNAP, many had accessed benefits through their U.S.-born children or mixed-status households, an issue the new audit aims to close.
Hellbound and Down 