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Volunteers at the Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center are organizing food for over 100 cars lined up at the center’s distribution site, still managing the backlog weeks into the ongoing U.S. government shutdown in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on November 7, 2025. — Reuters
The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily permitted the Trump administration to withhold approximately $4 billion, which is essential to fully fund a food assistance program serving 42 million low-income Americans this month, amid the ongoing federal shutdown.
This order, called an administrative stay, extends time for a lower court to consider the government’s formal plea to fund only part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, for November. The administration was under a Friday deadline set by a judge to ensure full funding for the program.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who issued the stay, has set it to expire two days after the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on the government’s request to halt a judge’s order requiring the USDA to distribute the full amount of SNAP benefits for this month, which typically costs between $8.5 billion and $9 billion.
Jackson anticipates the lower court will act swiftly. The decision by U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, came after the government announced it would provide an emergency fund of $4.65 billion to partially cover November’s SNAP benefits.
Jackson, the liberal justice reviewing emergency appeals from several states including Rhode Island, expects the 1st Circuit to resolve the government’s request promptly. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi shared on X (formerly Twitter) that the Supreme Court’s decision paused a ruling she viewed as “judicial activism at its worst.”
Lawyers for the Department of Justice argued that upholding McConnell’s decision could lead to further chaos during the shutdown by forcing “a run on the bank” through judicial fiat. Originally, the administration planned to completely suspend SNAP benefits in November due to funding shortfalls caused by the shutdown.
However, McConnell ordered USDA last week to use emergency SNAP funds to cover part of this month’s costs. In Thursday’s ruling, he directed the USDA to cover the balance from a separate federal program supporting child nutrition, which has a $23.35 billion budget sourced from tariffs.
McConnell, appointed by President Barack Obama, criticized the Trump administration for withholding SNAP benefits “for political reasons.” This ruling favored a coalition of cities, unions, and nonprofits represented by the liberal legal group Democracy Forward, prompting the administration to ask the 1st Circuit to stay the order on Friday.
Legal challengers argued that the government’s actions risk harming nearly one in eight Americans dependent on SNAP. They urged the court to deny the government’s motion to delay providing essential food support.
On Friday, the 1st Circuit refused the Trump administration’s request to temporarily block McConnell’s ruling but has yet to decide on the administration’s broader appeal. The three-judge panel, appointed by Democratic presidents, assured it would handle the matter “as quickly as possible.”
Democracy Forward’s Skye Perryman told MSNBC that courts have clearly affirmed the government’s legal obligation to fund SNAP benefits and must do so. Meanwhile, even as the appeal process unfolded, the USDA informed states it was working to comply with the judge’s order — a move that caused some confusion.
States like New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts announced they would issue full SNAP benefits for November. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey criticized the situation, saying President Trump’s actions forced Americans into hardship.
For the first time in the program’s six-decade history, SNAP benefits were not paid at the start of the month. Many recipients have relied more heavily on food banks or faced tough choices, such as skipping medications, to make ends meet.
SNAP benefits are monthly payments to eligible individuals earning less than 130% of the federal poverty line. For the 2026 fiscal year, maximum monthly benefits are $298 for a single-person household and $546 for a two-person household.
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