Bryan ordered half SNAP allotments for November to be mailed during federal shutdown

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. on October 21, 2025, directed the Virgin Islands government to use local funds to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program households with checks covering half of their November allotments while the federal government remained shut down.

Government House said the Department of Human Services, working with the Department of Finance, would mail the checks to the address on file for each household.

According to the administration, issuing checks was faster than loading partial benefits onto existing SNAP EBT cards because reprogramming the benefits system would take at least a month under estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.

Government House said Human Services had been working with USDA-FNS on the legal and technical requirements for the temporary local assistance, including eligibility verification, benefit calculation, audit trails and post-shutdown reconciliation.

The administration said mail delivery times, address accuracy and standard check-cashing requirements would affect distribution.

Government House also said Bryan would give the 36th Legislature time to consider any measures needed to continue or expand the relief if the shutdown persisted, and said he could declare a state of emergency if necessary.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-directs-local-snap-relief-for-november-amid-federal-shutdown/