The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has told grocery stores not to give special discounts to around 42 million Americans who use food stamps.

An email sent by the department to stores, posted on X by Catherine Rampell, co-host of MSNBC's The Weekend , said: “You cannot treat SNAP-EBT customers differently than any other customer.”

The directive comes as benefit payments remain on hold during the ongoing federal government shutdown .

Newsweek contacted USDA via its website on Monday, outside of regular working hours for comment.

Why It Matters

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides millions of low- and no-income Americans with federal funds to buy groceries.

Payments have been halted as the federal government shutdown drags into its second month, wi

See Full Page