We’re taking your comments and questions straight from YouTube — like how the U.S. is tightening SNAP restrictions for non-American citizens or why some federal agents got paid during the shutdown while others didn’t — and putting them to the test in this week’s Straight From You.
Every week, we pull your comments, separate fact from speculation, and add the context that headlines often leave out.
You said:
The question:
How are SNAP benefits tightening for some noncitizens?
SAN answer:
According to an Oct. 31 implementation memo, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has directed states to remove noncitizens from SNAP if they do not fall into a newly restricted list of eligible categories. The new rules limit SNAP eligibility to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants and citizens of Compacts of Free Association nations. The memo confirms that some noncitizen groups previously eligible for the program are now excluded.
Claim check: “Just shy of 60% of SNAP beneficiaries are not even Americans.”
No. Federal rules limit eligibility to U.S. citizens and certain lawfully present noncitizens, with most noncitizens subject to a five-year waiting period. The Oct. 31 USDA memo further tightens eligibility and directs states to remove newly ineligible noncitizens at recertification.
The changes arrive amid a long-running debate over the use of nutrition assistance by immigrants, as new analyses reach differing conclusions. A Center for Immigration Studies paper finds that nearly half of noncitizen-headed households with children under the age of 6 use WIC or SNAP (or both). In contrast, a Cato Institute briefing paper concludes that noncitizens receive a smaller share of total welfare and entitlement benefits than native-born Americans on a per-person basis. (The studies use different methods and time frames.)
Important context: The CIS figure is a subgroup, household-level metric that includes WIC and does not imply that “most SNAP beneficiaries nationwide are non-Americans.” By contrast, Cato’s national accounting (2022) estimates immigrants were 14.3% of the population and received ~11.9% of all welfare-state benefits, with noncitizens ~7.3% of the population and ~3.5% of benefits — far from 60%.
The FNS memo directs states to use the federal SAVE system to verify immigration status. The new rules apply immediately to new applicants and must be applied to current households at their next recertification. The memo reiterates that even for eligible noncitizens, a five-year waiting period generally applies unless they meet specific exemptions. A separate SSA fact sheet confirms that only U.S. citizens and “certain lawfully present noncitizens” are eligible for SNAP.
A Center for Immigration Studies analysis attributes this high usage to “modest levels of education and resulting low incomes,” noting “no evidence” of fraud. The paper, using 2024 SIPP data, found that 47% of noncitizen-headed households with young children use WIC or SNAP, versus 31% of U.S.-born households. It also notes that 96% of the young children in these noncitizen-headed households are U.S.-born.
By contrast, Cato’s Briefing Paper 184 concludes that, on a per-capita basis, noncitizens consumed 13% less in means-tested welfare and 75% less in old-age entitlement benefits than native-born Americans. The 2022 data showed that noncitizens, making up 7.3% of the population, consumed 3.5% of benefits, while all immigrants (14.3% of the population) consumed 11.9% of benefits.
Under the USDA memo, states will complete implementation through regular recertifications, with a temporary quality-control variance period ending Nov. 1, 2025. An analyst from the Cato Institute noted that minor legal changes can significantly reduce immigrants’ access to all these programs.
Your said:
The question:
Why were some DHS agents paid during the shutdown, while troops faced gaps?
SAN answer:
According to Federal News Network, the Trump administration used separate strategies to pay different groups of personnel during the shutdown. While the Pentagon shifted $6.5 billion in unspent funds to cover a single military payday, the Department of Homeland Security utilized newly available money to keep over 70,000 law enforcement officers on the payroll.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that over 70,000 sworn personnel would receive a “super check” on Oct. 22.
President Trump and I will always stand by law enforcement, and we are keeping our promise to always support them by making sure they are paid during the Democrats’ shutdown.
More than 70,000 sworn law enforcement officers across DHS including those serving in CBP, ICE,…
This payment was designed to cover the next pay period as well as all hours worked, including overtime. The plan covered officers across multiple agencies, including the Secret Service, ICE, CBP, and federal air marshals. DHS was able to do this by using funds from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a reconciliation package signed over the summer that provided the agency with additional funding.
Reuters reported that while TSA air marshals were included in the pay plan, the 50,000 officers who man airport checkpoints were excluded. Additionally, Federal News Network noted that CBP employees who are not in law enforcement roles were also expected to work without immediate pay.
To ensure active-duty troops were paid, the Defense Department reallocated $6.5 billion in unspent research funds, Federal News Network reported. However, House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers warned this was a one-time fix, stating the workaround “is not going to be available in two weeks” for the next pay period.
On Nov. 12, President Trump signed a package to reopen the government after it passed the House. According to Politico, the agreement provides full-year funding for some departments while extending others through Jan. 30. The deal also mandates that agencies provide back pay for the shutdown period and certify that laid-off employees have been rehired.
Keep dropping comments, asking questions and SAN will tackle the biggest ones next week on Straight From You.
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