Food assistance benefits for roughly 600,000 Coloradans will be fully restored following the end of a 43-day-long federal government shutdown this week. 

Gov. Jared Polis’ office said in a news release on Wednesday that the state is moving “as rapidly as possible” to process payments to low-income Coloradans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. 

The governor’s office said SNAP recipients can expect to begin seeing their full allotment loaded onto their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards as soon as Thursday. 

The announcement caps two weeks of uncertainty and confusion for states and SNAP recipients, who contended with several court orders and federal actions that led to an on-again-off-again situation for SNAP funding. 

President Donald Trump’s administration, in late October, initially said it would not fund SNAP until after the government reopened. A coalition of 25 states sued over that decision, and on Oct. 31, two federal judges ordered the administration to tap emergency funds to continue making SNAP payments. 

The United States Department of Agriculture said that the emergency funding available would only be enough to cover about half of SNAP recipients’ benefits for November, but a subsequent judicial order on Nov. 6 required the agency to make full SNAP payments. 

Colorado began working to process full payments following that decision, but those payments were halted on Nov. 7 after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to put a pause on fully funding the benefits. 

State officials said they had already delivered full benefits to about 32,000 Coloradans at the time of the Supreme Court’s decision. Following that, the USDA ordered states to only process 65% of November’s SNAP benefits, and to “undo” any efforts to provide full funding.

After Congress approved a stopgap funding bill on Wednesday, which Trump signed, the federal government reopened, allowing states to begin fully paying SNAP benefits. While the stopgap measure expires on Jan. 30, it ensures full SNAP funding for the remainder of the fiscal year, which runs through next September. 

The uncertainty left food providers scrambling to meet the need, with several food banks reporting heightened demand and some local governments approving emergency funding for SNAP recipients in the form of grocery store gift cards. 

Polis requested up to $10 million in additional funding for food banks, which the legislature approved, and also urged Coloradans to give money directly to Feeding Colorado, a network of the state’s five largest hunger-relief organizations. 

Coloradans still in need of food resources can reach out to local food banks or community agencies by accessing the 211 program, which connects people with state resources like food assistance. More information can be found by dialing 211 or 866-760-5489, or by visiting 211Colorado.org. 

Feeding Colorado resources can also be found at FeedingColorado.org/find-food or by emailing info@feedingcolorado.org.