WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) revised its guidance to states late Wednesday, announcing that recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, will receive a larger partial benefit in November than initially planned.

The USDA initially planned to reduce the maximum SNAP benefit by 50%. The new guidance calls for a smaller 35% reduction in the maximum benefit.

According to USDA official Patrick Penn, “USDA performed further analysis and determined that the maximum allotments need only be reduced by 35%, instead of 50%, to deplete the SNAP contingency fund,” which the agency is legally required to tap into amid the government shutdown.

Full SNAP benefits for November would total approximately $8.2 billion. The

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