If you are one of the 360,000 people in Connecticut who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy groceries, there is good and bad news.

On Monday, the Trump administration said it will partially fund SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, despite the federal government shutdown.

But recipients may only get half of their usual benefits – and it’s still unclear when the money will arrive in their accounts.

In Connecticut, SNAP pays a single person up to $298 a month, while a family of four can receive almost $1,000.

But the ongoing shutdown has left the program without funding.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture originally planned to freeze all payments starting Nov. 1. But after two judges ordered the agency to use contingency funds, USDA agreed to cover 50% of SNAP’s benefits on Monday.

How much individual families will get still isn’t known.

“The president and USDA and the Secretary of Agriculture have to fund SNAP,” said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who sued the administration along with two dozen other states. “The question right now is, when and how much?”

The Trump administration said states will receive guidance by the end of Monday on how to distribute what money is available.

“For at least some States, USDA’s understanding is that the system changes States must implement to provide the reduced benefit amounts will take anywhere from a few weeks to up to several months,” USDA Deputy Undersecretary Patrick Penn wrote in a Monday court filing. “Given the variation among State systems, some of which are decades old, it is unclear how many States will complete the changes in an automated manner with minimal disruption versus manual overrides or computations that could lead to payment errors and significant delays.”

In Connecticut, the Department of Social Services distributes SNAP funds in coordination with the federal government and outside vendors.

“We just received the decision,” said DSS spokesperson Christine Stuart. “Our legal counsel is looking at it. The issuance tables will arrive today at some point.”

The Trump administration declined to fully fund SNAP’s $9 billion for November with other money, including proceeds from President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“Another infusion of … tariff funds to Child Nutrition Programs will not occur until FY27,” Penn wrote. “In other words, the $4 billion removed from Child Nutrition Programs for one month of SNAP benefits would be a permanent loss to Child Nutrition Programs.”

Food banks like Person to Person are already seeing people with empty cabinets – and empty SNAP Electronic Balance Transfer cards.

“As soon as the news hit that money was not going to hit people’s accounts, we saw twice as many people walk in,” said Person to Person CEO Nancy Coughlin.

To fill the gap, the state is sending food banks $3 million in emergency funds, and Gov. Ned Lamont said he is prepared to allocate another $3 million if needed.

“Those empty shelves over there will be filled with fresh produce,” Lamont told leaders at the Hands on Hartford food pantry. “Starting at 4:30 this morning at FoodShare, eight new trucks loaded with fresh produce are going out serving hundreds of different shelters all across the state.”

This is all because of the federal government shutdown, now one day away from being the longest in American history.

The stalemate is over Affordable Care Act subsidies, which Democrats want to extend before agreeing to reopen the government.

Penny Parkes, of Fairfield, is facing a big jump in her premiums. “To say that I’m terrified is an understatement,” she said. “I don’t know what we will do.” In Washington, both sides are blaming each other. “All [Democrats] have to do is open up the country,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday. “We have voted 14 times to open the country, and they vote to keep it closed. All they have to do is vote to open the country.” Despite “indications that there’s a thaw,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal insisted that Democrats will not back down on health insurance rates.

“We’re all hearing from people who are saying, ‘Why don’t you just give in? Reopen the government. You know, give them what they want,’” the Democratic senator said. “But we’re all going to pay for those higher premiums.” If the shutdown drags into December, Lamont said that the state would have to step in. Next week, Connecticut lawmakers return to Hartford for a special session, where they are expected to set aside up to $500 million in surplus funds to counter cuts from Washington. Republican leaders have criticized it as an off-budget “slush fund.”