The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to temporarily withhold about $4 billion in funding for the nation’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), leaving uncertainty over benefits for 42 million low-income Americans this month.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an administrative stay that pauses a lower court order requiring the administration to fully fund the $8.5–$9 billion monthly food aid program during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The stay will remain in effect until two days after the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on the administration’s formal request to block the lower court’s order. Jackson emphasized that she expected the appeals court to act “with dispatch.”
The order came a day after U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island directed the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use other departmental funds to cover the full cost of November SNAP benefits.
McConnell, an Obama appointee, accused the Trump administration of withholding payments “for political reasons.”
The administration had initially planned to suspend SNAP benefits entirely for November, citing a lack of available funds due to the shutdown.
It later proposed $4.65 billion in emergency funding to partially cover benefits, but McConnell ruled that the USDA must fill the shortfall using a separate $23.35 billion fund supported by tariff revenue and intended for child nutrition programs.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the Supreme Court’s intervention, calling McConnell’s decision “judicial activism at its worst.”
Department of Justice lawyers argued that enforcing the ruling would “sow further shutdown chaos” and trigger “a run on the bank by way of judicial fiat.”
The coalition of plaintiffs, including cities, unions, and nonprofits represented by Democracy Forward, urged the appeals court to reject the administration’s request, warning that withholding benefits would harm millions of families relying on SNAP.
“Individuals and families who need food assistance now should not be made to wait,” they said in a filing.
The 1st Circuit Court on Friday denied the administration’s initial bid for an administrative stay but has yet to rule on its full request to halt McConnell’s order.
The USDA, caught between conflicting directives, informed states earlier Friday that it was preparing to issue full SNAP benefits in compliance with the lower court’s ruling, even as the administration pursued its appeal.
The move caused confusion among state agencies, with states including New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts announcing they would issue full November payments.
“President Trump should never have put the American people in this position,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.
SNAP benefits, which lapsed for the first time in the program’s 60-year history at the start of November, provide monthly assistance to Americans earning less than 130% of the federal poverty line.
For the 2026 fiscal year, the maximum monthly benefit is $298 for a single-person household and $546 for two people.
As the legal battle continues, millions of households remain uncertain whether they will receive their full food aid this month.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
