Washington (November 3, 2025) – After benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for roughly 42 million Americans were stopped over the weekend due to the ongoing Republican-led government shutdown, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in introducing a Senate resolution demanding Trump open resources for millions of Americans.

SNAP benefits lapsed on November 1 because Trump initially refused to use a SNAP contingency fund that Congress previously appropriated $6 billion for and additional federal funds available using interchange authority. After two federal judges ruled that President Trump must continue to fund SNAP, the Trump Administration agreed to use the $4.65 billion left in the contingency fund to finance the program. However, the contingency fund will only cover half of SNAP benefits for the month of November, and Trump is refusing to use additional available funds using interchange authority to spend Section 32 tariff revenue—established decades ago—to fully fund SNAP in the month of November.

The resolution is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Full text of the resolution can be found here.

A companion resolution will be introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) and Jahana Hayes (CT-05).

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