"Insufficient Balance": Millions in US Already Unable to Receive Food Assistance Benefits

On November 1 local time, CCTV reporters learned that the National Parents Union, a US civil organization, stated that day that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for millions of people had expired due to "insufficient balance." In a statement, the National Parents Union said that millions of SNAP users did not receive their benefits that day.

It is reported that approximately 42 million Americans rely on this program to purchase food. On October 31, judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled that the Trump administration must not suspend SNAP benefits during the government shutdown.

US President Trump stated on social media on the evening of October 31 that the government is asking the court to clarify the legal funding pathway for SNAP as soon as possible. The National Parents Union stated in its declaration that the Trump administration is deliberately and illegally choosing to ignore the orders of Congress and the federal court by refusing to fund SNAP.