The USDA tells grocery stores: There are no special discounts for SNAP recipients
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has sent an email to grocery stores prohibiting them from offering discounts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients amid the government shutdown.
The email, which MSNBC’s Katherine Rampell shared on Sunday to social media platform
National Grocers Association (NGA) Vice President David Cutler confirmed to The Hill on Monday that the email was sent to grocery stores. NGA represents more than 21,000 independent grocery stores across the country.
Sunday’s notice states that unless a store has a waiver allowing it to bypass the program’s equal treatment requirements, “offering discounts or services only to customers who pay for SNAP is a violation of SNAP.”
An NGA spokesperson added that independent grocers across the country “remain committed to serving all customers fairly and impartially” during the closure, which began on October 1.
“Independent grocers recognize the importance of SNAP in helping families access nutritious food and are following all federal guidelines to ensure every customer is treated equally,” the spokesperson added. “Our members continue to adhere to the highest standards of customer service while keeping their communities nourished during this challenging time.”
The Hill has reached out to the USDA for further comment on the email.
On Monday, Trump administration officials told a federal judge in Rhode Island that they would provide partial SNAP benefits for November through a $4.65 billion emergency fund. Two federal judges ordered the administration to do so on Friday.
November’s SNAP benefits for more than 40 million beneficiaries are estimated to cost more than $9 billion. The justices said Friday that the USDA could tap other sources to cover remaining benefits, such as the Section 32 Child Nutrition Fund.
However, the administration said Monday that doing so would be an “unacceptable risk.”
“Section 32 Child Nutrition Program funds are not a SNAP emergency fund,” Patrick Penn, who oversees SNAP, wrote in a sworn affidavit.
