“Fully complying”: White House walks back Trump comments on SNAP freeze

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was forced to walk back President Donald Trump‘s shutdown rhetoric on Tuesday.

The president said that SNAP benefits would not be distributed until the “Radical Left Democrats open up government,” an apparent contradiction of court orders that required the federal government to use emergency funds to keep the assistance program operational.

“SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” he wrote on Truth Social.

Pressed about the outburst by White House reporters, Leavitt said the administration was “fully complying” with court orders.

“I just spoke to the president about it,” Leavitt said. “It’s going to take some time to receive this money because the Democrats have forced the administration into a very untenable position.”

Leavitt said that Trump was referring to the further distribution of benefits at some unspecified future point.

“We are digging into a contingency fund that is supposed to be for emergencies,” she said. “The president does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future, so that’s what he was referring to.”

Leavitt added that there would be delays in distributing SNAP payments.

“It’s gonna take some time,” she said. “The best way to get the full amount of SNAP benefits to those beneficiaries is for Democrats to reopen the government.”

Watch the exchange below:

Weijia: Did the administration distribute that SNAP money or defy that court order?

Leavitt: No. The administration is fully complying with the court order. pic.twitter.com/nsUaNZ5VNs

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 4, 2025