On Monday, the Trump administration announced that partial payments, about half the amount of households’ current allotments, would be distributed to SNAP recipients for November.

The administration’s announcement came after 25 states and the District of Columbia sued the federal government over its plan to pause the program starting Nov. 1 instead of using contingency funding during the ongoing government shutdown, which started on Oct. 1.

Uncertainty remains about how the partial benefits will be dispersed, with concerns that benefits could be delayed for weeks or months. Concerns from OSU students and community members who receive SNAP benefits remain regarding the program’s funding.

Separate rulings on Oct 31,, from two federal judges, ordered the Trump administration to make full or partial SNAP benefits. The judges asked for an update on how SNAP funding would be handled by Nov. 3.

SNAP is a program that distributes money to eligible individuals who can use it to purchase food and beverages. SNAP recipients receive an average of about $200/month to buy food and groceries.

Generally, in order to qualify, a household’s income must be under 130% of the poverty line, but requirements vary based on household size, disability, the state distributing the benefits, and other factors.

757,000 people in Oregon, or about 1 in 6 Oregonians, are currently enrolled in the SNAP program. According to Benton county, about 13% of Benton County’s population, or around 13,000 people, receive SNAP food benefits.

According to Sophie Borrilez, in a response to a Barometer Instagram poll about the impact of changes to November SNAP funding, “I’m really worried about how I’m going to rearrange my budget to accommodate for this loss.”

Another respondent, Karlein Henzel, replied saying that “Being a family in the low-income community, we are truly at a loss with SNAP being cut.”

In Oregon, students ages 18 to 49 enrolled more than half-time in a higher education institution can get SNAP benefits if they meet eligibility requirements, in addition to working more than 20 hours a week, participating in work study, being responsible for caring for a child under the age of 12 or meeting other additional qualifying criteria.