US will not use contingency fund to keep food aid flowing, memo says

South China Morning PostCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by Associated PressOctober 25, 2025 at 03:53 AM

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The Trump administration has decided not to use approximately $5 billion in contingency funds to sustain food aid through November during the government shutdown, according to a Department of Agriculture memo. The memo states that these funds are legally restricted for disaster relief and cannot cover regular SNAP benefits. Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups had urged the administration to utilize these funds to prevent the cessation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which assist about one in eight Americans with purchasing groceries. States covering the cost temporarily will not be reimbursed. The memo blames Democrats for the ongoing shutdown that began on October 1st.

Key Topics & Entities

US$5 billion contingency fund ×250% Department of Agriculture 60% United States government 70% Trump administration ×280%

Keywords

snap benefits 100% food aid 90% government shutdown 80% contingency funds 80% department of agriculture memo 70% supplemental nutrition assistance programme 70% us$5 billion 60% democrats 60% tropical storm melissa 50% congressional democrats blocking government funding 50%

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South China Morning Post

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Center (0.10)

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90%

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snap benefits food aid government shutdown contingency funds department of agriculture memo supplemental nutrition assistance programme us$5 billion democrats tropical storm melissa congressional democrats blocking government funding

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