Both Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul late on the afternoon of Nov. 7 separately announced that all eligible households in their states that receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will have their full benefit amounts for the month of November transferred onto their EBT cards within the next several days. They both said that state funds would be used to make up for what the Trump administration was not providing.
Hochul’s and Lamont’s announcements came while the Trump administration still was indicating it was trying to avoid making the full SNAP payments and the best it could do would be from 50% to 65% of what people usually receive. It also indicated that it could take months for the benefits to reach recipients.
In Lamont’s announcement, he noted that a federal court order on Nov. 6 directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide full benefits for the month of November. As of late Nov. 7 the USDA had not yet complied; however Lamont took action and authorized the use of state funding to fill this lapse in federal funding should the USDA not follow through on this court order. Connecticut’s EBT vendor says it will be able to transfer funding onto recipients’ EBT cards within 48 hours of those funds being made available to the vendor. The transfer of funding to the vendor is imminent.
“I’m relieved to share that families will receive their full benefits for the month of November and can plan their grocery shopping accordingly,” Lamont said. “Families in need of food assistance should never have been used as political pawns due to Washington’s dysfunction, and the federal administration’s attempts to prevent families from accessing this funding has just been cruel. I am extremely appreciative of all the community partners and generous people of Connecticut who’ve rallied over these last few days to ensure that nobody in our state goes hungry.”
In her separate statement, Hochul said, “After weeks of the Trump administration putting millions of New Yorkers through chaos and confusion, following guidance from USDA, I’ve directed state agencies to issue full federal SNAP benefits for November. We expect the first New Yorkers to begin having access to their benefits starting Sunday.
“Let me be clear, President Trump is hellbent on preventing millions of Americans from putting food on the table. He’s made decision after decision to withhold funding that feeds families, seniors and children — and continues doubling down on this cruelty by challenging the courts’ clear orders. It’s senseless and un-American and I’m working tirelessly to bring this uncertainty to an end for the nearly three million New Yorkers who rely on this program.”
Connecticut’s DSS Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said. “Our team has been working around the clock to ensure we could provide these benefits as quickly as possible. Families can soon expect to see their full November benefits, and we appreciate everyone’s patience during this time.”
SNAP recipients do not need to take any action. Benefits will automatically be loaded onto EBT cards and will be available for use at grocery stores and other authorized retailers throughout Connecticut, Lamont’s announcement said.
Also today, Lamont announced that he would be a candidate for reelection next year. If elected again, it would be his third term.
