SNAP freeze leaves Asian American families scrambling for food

The Trump administration’s month-long government shutdown cut off food stamp benefits for millions of Asian Americans over the weekend, leaving families across the country struggling to afford groceries as they waited in growing food pantry lines.

Catch up: November payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were halted Saturday, affecting approximately 42 million recipients nationwide. The freeze came as the Agriculture Department stopped disbursing funds during the shutdown that has now become the second-longest in U.S. history. Friday brought dual rulings from federal judges ordering the administration to deploy contingency funds for benefit restoration, though officials warn the process would require at least a week.

On Truth Social Friday, President Donald Trump maintained that government lawyers found no legal authority to tap emergency reserves. Interestingly, this position conflicts with 2019 guidance from his first administration indicating that such funds could be used when shutdowns interrupt SNAP. Rhode Island U.S. District Judge John McConnell set a noon deadline today for the administration to detail its compliance plan, with an alternative Wednesday deadline for partial distributions using the $3 billion contingency reserve that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said covers less than half the monthly need.

State of play: While Asian Americans appear less frequently in SNAP data relative to their population numbers, the benefit freeze strikes hard at communities battling gentrification pressures and language access challenges. New York City’s numbers show the impact: 253,000 Asian residents out of 1.5 million depend on SNAP, with more than 91% employed but confined to lower-paying positions because of English language limitations. Neighborhoods like Chinatowns that provided stable homes for families across one or two generations now push residents out through rising costs.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), led by Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), pulled no punches last week. “There’s enough money to extend SNAP benefits past November 1. Yet President Trump is CHOOSING to let families go hungry,” the caucus said in an X post, calling the situation “despicable” and accusing the administration of letting millions go hungry for political gain. Adding to the pressure, the Agriculture Department has sent emails blocking grocery stores from providing discounts to SNAP recipients, stating such offers breach program regulations.

Looking ahead: Demand at food banks reportedly reached crisis levels over the weekend, overwhelming organizations that say they cannot sustain the surge long-term. Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot put the scale in stark terms, telling CNN, “For every one meal that the charitable food system can provide, SNAP has been providing nine. That’s why I’m saying ‘cataclysmic.’” For Asian American communities already navigating systemic barriers around employment and housing, the freeze deepens existing economic vulnerabilities with no clear timeline for relief.

Meng has criticized the administration’s spending priorities as it facilitates $20 billion in private financing for Argentina, along with a $20 billion currency swap. “The White House is giving Argentina a $40B bailout … meanwhile 42 MILLION families will go without their SNAP benefits,” she wrote on X.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said payments could resume as soon as Wednesday.