Trump admin warns grocery stores against offering discounts to SNAP recipients

The government shutdown has affected federal employees as well as beneficiaries of welfare schemes across America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has sent a directive to grocery stores prohibiting them from offering discounts to the recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid the government shutdown. A snapshot of an email from the USDA was shared on X by Catherine Rampell, the co-host of MSNBC's "The Weekend," which showed that the department instructed the stores not to "treat SNAP-EBT customers differently than any other customer.” The directive comes as the benefit payments have been put on hold by President Donald Trump’s administration amid the federal government shutdown.

The SNAP-EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) has been a major piece of the U.S. social safety net since 1964, and according to Newsweek, it helps nearly 42 million Americans to buy groceries. Originally known as the food stamp program, it serves low-income individuals, many of whom don't have jobs or enough money for necessities. The program came into focus after the Trump administration announced that it would freeze SNAP payments starting on November 1.

Following the freeze, several food delivery apps and grocery store chains sought to offer discounts to SNAP recipients whose payments were delayed, reported The New Republic. Now, the USDA has reportedly stepped in to prevent grocery stores from offering such discounts. According to the snapshot shared on X, the email said, "SNAP-EBT Retailers Must Comply with the SNAP Equal Treatment Rule." As per reports, the directive requires grocery stores to sell eligible food items to SNAP-EBT customers at the same prices and under the same conditions as the other shoppers.

“Offering discounts or services only to SNAP-eligible customers is a SNAP violation unless you have a SNAP equal treatment waiver," the email read. According to Rampell, at least two stores that offered discounts to the affected SNAP recipients had to stop after receiving the email.

Announcing the freeze on SNAP payments, the Trump administration argued that it couldn't use a $5 billion contingency fund to help keep the program running, as per AP News. The administration argued that the fund was needed for emergencies like natural disasters. However, last week, after lawsuits from 25 states were filed, two federal judges ruled that the government must pay for food stamps, at least partially, using the contingency fund. The federal government is expected to appeal against the ruling, and the payments will be delayed further by one or two weeks. “Even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while States get the money out,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social after the ruling, adding that the government's lawyers did not think the administration had legal authority to pay for SNAP with the available money, reported NewsWeek.

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