Hoosiers who use SNAP benefits will see a portion of the money they typically receive after 11 days without benefits.
Gov. Mike Braun announced Monday that partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be paid to eligible Hoosiers. The payments will be processed Monday and will be available on EBT cards Tuesday, according to a Governor’s Office press release.
The state can offer partial benefits because of federal funding restrictions and a U.S. Supreme Court stay. When funding is restored, the state will be able to “move quickly to deliver full benefits to qualifying households across Indiana as soon as possible,” according to the release.
Food Bank of Northwest Indiana CEO Victor Garcia said the organization is pleased that partial SNAP benefits will be available soon, but “it is important to remember that there has already been a disruption that creates real hardship for families struggling to make ends meet.”
“Many of our friends and neighbors rely on this vital support to put food on the table. While we remain committed to stepping up and helping fill the gap, charitable food alone cannot replace consistent, reliable nutrition assistance. We look forward to and encourage elected officials in returning Indiana to full SNAP issuance,” Garcia said.
Braun’s announcement comes on the heels of a Supreme Court SNAP decision and the federal government shutdown likely coming to an end, which Braun “welcomed” in the release.
“After weeks of gridlock, it’s good to see some folks in D.C. finally come to their senses. Senate Democrats held this up far too long, but they’ve finally relented. SNAP benefits are on the way, and Indiana is well-positioned to distribute them as soon as possible,” Braun said.
The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Trump administration’s emergency appeal to temporarily block a court order to fully fund SNAP food aid payments amid the government shutdown, even though residents in some states already have received the funds.
A judge had given the Republican administration until Friday to make the payments through the SNAP. But the administration asked an appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month.
After a Boston appeals court declined to immediately intervene, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an order late Friday pausing the requirement to distribute full SNAP payments until the appeals court rules on whether to issue a more lasting pause. Jackson handles emergency matters from Massachusetts.
Her order will remain in place until 48 hours after the appeals court rules, giving the administration time to return to the Supreme Court if the appeals court refuses to step in.
The food program serves about 1 in 8 Americans, mostly with lower incomes.
Officials in more than a half-dozen states confirmed that some SNAP recipients already were issued full November payments on Friday. But Jackson’s order could prevent other states from initiating the payments.
The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, which Democrats have stated was the reason they haven’t voted for the continuing resolution to fund the government.
In a test vote that is the first in a series of required procedural maneuvers, the Senate voted 60-40 to move toward passing compromise legislation to fund the government and hold a later vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire Jan. 1. Final passage could be several days away if Democrats object and delay the process.
Eight Democratic Senators broke the six-week stalemate on Sunday when they agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding until late January in exchange for a mid-December vote on extending the health care tax credits.
The agreement also includes a reversal of the mass firing of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began on Oct. 1 and would ensure that federal workers receive back pay.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly endorsed the deal and called an immediate vote to begin the process of approving it as the shutdown continued to disrupt flights nationwide, threaten food assistance for millions of Americans and leave federal workers without pay.
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Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against moving ahead with the package. Schumer said he could not “in good faith” support it.
Schumer, who received blowback from his party in March when he voted to keep the government open, said that Democrats have now “sounded the alarm” on health care.
“We will not give up the fight,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed.