Washington — Recipients of federal food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will receive a higher portion of their monthly payments for November than initially expected, an official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said late Wednesday.

Patrick Penn, who oversees food and nutrition services at the USDA, including SNAP, said in a court declaration that maximum allotments for food-stamp beneficiaries will be reduced by 35% for this month, instead of halved.

As a result, eligible Americans will receive up to 65% of their benefits, more than the initial 50% that states had been directed to implement earlier this week.

The Justice Department said in a separate filing that the USDA "realized this error" after conducting further calculations. The departm

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