The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food-aid program for about 42 million Americans is caught in fresh legal and funding uncertainty amid the U.S. government shutdown.
Late Friday, Ketanji Brown Jackson, a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States, issued an administrative stay temporarily blocking a lower-court order that required the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to disburse full November benefits under SNAP by Friday.
Earlier this week, a federal judge in Rhode Island, John J. McConnell Jr., ruled the administration must fully fund the program—ordering it to use contingency funds or other sources to ensure no-benefit households are left without aid. The judge said the harm of delaying benefits would be “irreparable.”
The administration has argued it lacks the legal authority to use certain contingency or nutrition funds for SNAP, maintaining that only Congress can appropriate the required amounts. It first moved to provide only partial benefits, about half the normal monthly allotment, because of the funding lapse.
Justice Jackson’s stay gives the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit time to rule on the administration’s appeal before full payments must be made. Her order will remain in effect until 48 hours after the First Circuit issues its decision.
Despite the pause, some states had already begun issuing full November payments ahead of the stay. The mismatch between state action and federal uncertainty has left many beneficiaries anxiously unclear about whether and when they will receive support.
SNAP is the nation’s largest anti-hunger program. The delay and dispute come at a time when families with children, elderly adults, and people with disabilities rely heavily on the assistance. Advocates warn that reduced or delayed payments could lead to increased food insecurity, higher strain on food banks and social services, and greater hardship for vulnerable households.
The administration’s decision not to tap a separate child-nutrition fund known as “Section 32” has been central to the legal fight. The federal judge had directed that fund — still holding more than $20 billion — should be used to cover the shortfall, but the administration has resisted, saying the funds are meant for other programs and that transferring them would raise constitutional concerns.
With the government shutdown ongoing and Congress yet to provide a funding resolution, the battle over SNAP benefits highlights how funding gaps can reverberate through safety-net programs and directly affect millions of Americans.
