Mississippi will resume normal issuance of food stamps immediately, the Mississippi Department of Human Services announced Thursday. 

This development happened after the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history ended Wednesday after the House approved the Senate-passed funding package, which President Donald Trump signed into law. 

Mississippians who receive their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits between the 14th and the 21st of each month can expect to receive their full benefits as usual, the agency said in a press release. 

Those who receive their benefits between the 4th and the 13th will receive the remainder of November’s benefits “as soon as possible,” after having received partial benefits this week, according to the press release. 

December benefits will be rolled out as usual, the department said. 

“We are grateful to see MDHS working quickly to restore full benefits to all SNAP recipients for the month of November,” said Sarah Stripp, director of socioeconomic wellbeing at Springboard to Opportunities, a Jackson-based cash assistance program. “We also hope this crisis will help us all recognize how vital SNAP benefits are to the families and individuals who rely on them each month and our local economies.”

Confusion over the nation’s largest food assistance program ensued in recent weeks after more than a dozen states sued the Trump administration for its refusal to issue benefits. In past shutdowns, food assistance has continued to flow to states, but the federal government said Oct. 24 that it would not use emergency funds to pay for the program. 

About 1 in 8 Mississippians — over 350,000 people — receive food assistance through SNAP. More than 67% of participants are in households with children, and about 41% are in households with older adults or adults with a disability. In four Mississippi counties, over a third of residents rely on the program to purchase food, according to a report from WLBT. 

“It was cruel and demoralizing to watch our leaders use families’ lives and wellbeing as a bargaining chip for political gain, and we must all commit to holding our leaders accountable to not act in this way again,” Stripp said.