Murphy administration accelerates $42.5M in food grants as federal SNAP funding halts amid shutdown
TRENTON, N.J. — With the federal government shutdown extending into November and the Trump administration halting funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Nick Scutari, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin announced Thursday that New Jersey is accelerating $42.5 million in food and hunger grants to food banks statewide to help families affected by the loss of benefits.
The announcement comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed it will not fund SNAP benefits starting Nov. 1, 2025, despite access to $6 billion in contingency funds for emergencies. The decision will impact more than 800,000 New Jersey residents across 400,000 households — nearly half of whom are children, one in three individuals with disabilities, and one in five seniors.
“In communities across our state, food banks are on the front lines combating food insecurity and supporting New Jersey families in need,” Murphy said. “They are an integral part of our food security safety net, and our administration is proud to deliver funding to support their operations, especially at a time of increased uncertainty. The Trump Administration’s decision to abandon the over 800,000 New Jerseyans who rely on critical SNAP benefits during one of the longest federal government shutdowns in our nation’s history is morally reprehensible.”
The state has also joined a multi-state lawsuit against the USDA and Secretary Brooke Rollins, alleging the agency unlawfully suspended SNAP funding despite available contingency money.
Scutari called the federal cutoff “an unconscionable affront to our core values of caring for those in need,” adding, “The SNAP benefits that will be lost or delayed are a nutritional lifeline that puts food on the table for young families, senior citizens and the disabled. Accelerating the delivery of grants to Emergency Food Organizations in our local communities will help alleviate this food crisis.”
Coughlin praised the move to speed up state funding, saying, “In moments like this, we all have a responsibility to step up and do our part to ensure no one goes hungry. I urge our leaders in Washington to act swiftly to restore this funding and to end this uncertainty for the hundreds of thousands of families who rely on SNAP.”
The expedited state funding includes:
- Community Food Bank of New Jersey – $22,525,000
- Food Bank of South Jersey – $6,375,000
- Fulfill Monmouth & Ocean – $6,375,000
- Mercer Street Friends Food Bank – $4,675,000
- Norwescap – $1,275,000
- Southern Regional Food Distribution Center – $1,275,000
In total, $42.5 million in grants will be distributed to support emergency food providers.
“Food banks play a vital role in connecting our state’s farms with families in need,” said New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Ed Wengryn. “By accelerating Food and Hunger grant funding, we are ensuring New Jersey’s Emergency Food Organizations have the resources necessary to respond to the needs of their surrounding communities.”
Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman said the funding is crucial as families face growing uncertainty. “For the first time in history, the federal government has failed to fund the SNAP program beginning November 1st, which leaves more than 800,000 New Jerseyans who rely on SNAP feeling anxious and uncertain of where their next meal will come from,” she said.
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin called the federal decision “reckless and cruel,” adding, “We are suing the Trump Administration to release SNAP contingency funds so that New Jersey families who depend on them have food at the table, and we will keep fighting until these critical benefits resume.”
While no new federal funds will be issued beginning Nov. 1, SNAP recipients can still use any remaining benefits from October or earlier months. Families who receive state supplemental benefits—about 32,000 households—will continue to receive New Jersey’s $95 minimum benefit.
Murphy officials said the administration will continue coordinating with state agencies and community organizations to monitor the situation and provide updates on resources through NJ211 and njsnap.gov.
