Partial SNAP benefits resume
The Mississippi Department of Human Services has begun partial distribution of SNAP benefits following official guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, the state agency announced on Monday.
Beginning immediately, MDHS will distribute up to 65 percent of the November SNAP benefit allotment to recipients. Benefit amounts were set by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, not MDHS, according to the agency release.
SNAP benefits are issued on a rolling basis between the 4th and the 21st of each month. Recipients who typically receive their benefits between the 4th and 10th of the month will be included in the upcoming issuance of benefits as early as Nov. 10. All other recipients will receive their benefits on their regularly scheduled issuance date.
In preparation for benefit issuance, MDHS encouraged all SNAP clients to register their account at ConnectEBT.com and change their PIN number.
SNAP recipients are advised to:
Register for a Connect EBT account and save ConnectEBT to their cell phone home screen and change their PIN after every use to reduce their risk of being the victim of fraud and skimming.
Monitor all account transactions and report any suspicious activity to MDHS.
Ensure all case information is current to avoid interruptions in benefits.
Follow MDHS social media channels for the latest updates on additional benefit funding and program announcements.
Approximately 350,000 Mississippians, receive SNAP benefits per month, according to state records. That figure includes over 162,000 children.
The 65 percent payment is drawn from a $5 billion contingency fund meant to keep essential nutrition programs operating during federal disruptions. Trump had refused to use the fund until the government reopened.
But after nearly two weeks of intense legal wrangling, between various federal courts and the White House, food aid for 42 million Americans remains uncertain, even as the U.S. government prepares to reopen.
On Nov. 6, a Rhode Island judge ordered the Trump administration to use emergency and tariff funds to deliver full benefits to 42 million Americans, following a week of lesser demands from the same judge. The administration opted to pay partial payments using its $5 billion contingency fund, then threatened to defy the court altogether. After repeated rulings demanding full funding, the Justice Department appealed, and the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily paused enforcement while some states had already begun issuing full benefits. The administration then ordered states to undo the payments, prompting another wave of lawsuits. The appeals court finally ruled against the Trump administration in a late-night ruling on Nov. 9, before a Massachusetts judge blocked the USDA’s repayment directive to states the following morning, capping a chaotic legal battle over the nation’s food aid.
As of Monday evening, the Trump administration is on the hook for full payments. The White House appealed to the Supreme Court Monday, arguing judges cannot compel spending during the government shutdown. While the reopening of the U.S. government could render the entire legal affair mute, it’s not yet officially known if the court ruling will sustain or if SNAP recipients will be paid retroactively.
One non-profit leader said the payments would be paid retroactively, however, a U.S. Senate Republican-led bill introduced in late October seeks to ensure it happens.
In Mississippi, the nation’s poorest and hungriest state, the fallout has been severe. Food banks and hunger relief groups say they are struggling to keep up with record demand while working on a reduced budget as both SNAP recipients and furloughed federal workers turn to them for help.
Jason Martin, executive director of the Hunger Coalition in northeast Mississippi, told the Mississippi Independent Friday that the high demand and budgeting pressures have placed organizations like his in a “crisis situation” and created a ”near-perfect storm scenario.”
Before the shutdown, Mississippi already had one of the highest hunger rates in the country. More than 571,000 residents, nearly one in five, were food insecure in 2023, compared with one in eight nationally. Nearly one in four children in Mississippi lacked reliable access to food, according to the USDA’s last available data. The Delta region is the hardest hit in the state.
But tracking hunger in the state has become even more difficult. In September, the Trump administration ended the federal government’s food insecurity tracker, a data system used since 1995 to measure where hunger was rising and how to respond. One food insecurity expert told the Mississippi Independent that the loss of the tracker means nonprofits and government organizations will “struggle” to direct aid to the correct parts of the country and track whether anti-hunger programs are working at all.
Unlike neighboring Alabama and Tennessee, which provided temporary food bank assistance during the shutdown, Mississippi offered no state-level relief.
“We haven’t seen any help,” Martin said. “The lack of support is just disheartening.”
Gov. Tate Reeves’s office did not respond to requests for comment from The Mississippi Independent on Monday.
MDHS announced that it will continue to share information as updates become available. For the latest details, visit www.mdhs.ms.gov or follow official social channels.
Map via USDA