This story has been updated.
On Oct. 24, The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that Americans would not be receiving their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds for November.
A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled on Friday that the USDA must fund SNAP as soon as possible. On Monday, the Trump administration announced that it would send partial food stamps to SNAP households, which may mean a recipient receives only half of their usual monthly payment, officials said. It is still unclear how and when the funds will reach SNAP recipients. The New York Times is providing live updates.
This funding freeze would affect roughly 41 million people nationwide and almost 900,000 Arizonans who rely on federal funding for food aid.
In a typical month, the total SNAP payout nationally would be between $7-10 billion, but the Trump administration claimed that it was illegal to use the roughly $6 billion SNAP contingency fund for regular benefits.
Here is a timeline following the reactions of Arizona’s elected officials in anticipation of the Nov. 1 cutoff.
Oct. 24
Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego wrote a letter to the USDA with 44 other Senate Democrats urging it to — at the least — release the SNAP contingency funds. The Senators also proposed the redistribution of funds from other nutrition programs to cover SNAP payouts for the month.
“Given the critical importance of SNAP benefits, the USDA must take all steps possible to ensure that families do not go hungry,” the letter reads.
Oct. 28
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit against the USDA alongside 21 other attorneys general and three governors alleging the SNAP suspension to be a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.
A temporary restraining order against the USDA reads: “(...) SNAP benefits are a mandatory entitlement, requiring federal payments so long as Congress has appropriated funds for them—and Congress has done so.”
District 6 Representative Juan Ciscomani joined other Republican representatives in consponsoring the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 introduced by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) on Oct. 24.
Oct. 29
Gov. Katie Hobbs announced plans to distribute $1.5 million to Arizona food banks and another $300,000 towards Food Bucks Now. The brand new emergency food assistance initiative for SNAP households will function as a $30 voucher for use at farmers markets and community grocers.
“I’m proud to deliver this much needed relief to families who are worried about putting food on the table, but also recognize it falls short of the $150 million in food assistance the federal government delivers to Arizonans every month,” Hobbs said in a press release.
Sen. Ruben Gallego cosponsored a bill also known as the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 similar to the House bill Rep. Ciscomani cosponsored, but introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Oct. 21. This bill was cosponsored by Republican and Democratic senators.
A third congressional bill aiming to ensure that SNAP and WIC benefits continue was cosponsored by Sen. Gallego and Sen. Kelly after being introduced by Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM). The entire Senate Democratic Caucus cosponsored the effort.
Oct. 30
Gov. Hobbs [spoke to the press](
while volunteering at St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix. She repeatedly said that President Trump has the power to release the USDA’s SNAP contingency funds without any actions from Congress.
“Instead he’s choosing to politicize hungry people and use them as leverage,” Hobbs said.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero criticized President Trump’s policies, namely this food stamp cutoff, as “cruel and inhumane.” She urged the president and Republican congresspeople to end the shutdown and fund SNAP.
“They can do this. They have it in their hands to be able to release the funds to feed our children and our seniors and families across America. SNAP is not a handout. It is not a Democrat program. It is a hand up,” she said.
Ward 2 Councilmember Paul Cunningham posted a followup to an Oct. 29 Facebook post that the Ward 2 office would be accepting food donations until Nov. 7 for plans to distribute to SNAP recipients on Nov. 8.
Oct. 31
Mayor Romero posted on Instagram encouraging people to donate to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.
District 7 Representative-Elect Adelita Grijalva released a statement calling on the Trump administration to release the $6 billion contingency fund for SNAP. She also urged Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to call the House back into session.
"Speaker Johnson needs to stop playing political games and call the House back into session so Congress can complete its most basic responsibilities – re-open the government and protect the American people,” Grijalva said.
