Supreme Court blocks order requiring full SNAP funding during shutdown

The U.S. Supreme Court docket on Friday issued a brief block order by a decrease court docket requiring the Trump administration to totally fund the Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) program amid the federal government shutdown.

The choice got here shortly after a federal appeals court docket on Friday rejected a Trump administration request to briefly block the decrease court docket’s ruling.

On Thursday, U.S. District Decide Jack McConnell rejected the administration’s try to solely partially fund the advantages program for about 42 million low-income Individuals for November whereas the shutdown continues, giving the federal government 24 hours to conform.

“Individuals have gone with out for too lengthy,” McConnell says stated in court docket.

DOJ ACCUSES FEDERAL JUDGE OF ‘Making a Mockery of the Separation of Powers’ IN SPEEDY APPEAL

Volunteer Bruce Toben packs groceries throughout an emergency meals distribution on the Jewish Federation of Larger Philadelphia’s Mitzvah Meals Program in Philadelphia, Friday. (AP Photograph/Matt Rourke)

Following the appeals court docket ruling, the Trump administration filed an emergency attraction with SCOTUS late Friday.

“Given the upcoming, irreparable hurt posed by these orders, which require the federal government to switch an estimated $4 billion this night, the Solicitor Basic respectfully requests an instantaneous administrative keep of the orders pending decision of this request no later than 9:30 p.m. tonight,” a authorities spokesperson informed Fox Information.

New York Legal professional Basic Letitia James responded to the Supreme Court docket’s ruling on Friday, calling it a “tragedy.”

“This choice is a tragedy for the thousands and thousands of Individuals who depend on SNAP to feed their households. It’s shameful that the Trump administration has chosen to battle this in court docket as a substitute of fulfilling its duty to the American folks,” she stated in an announcement.

The Supreme Court docket’s ruling got here after the U.S. Division of Agriculture stated Friday it’s working to adjust to a choose’s order to totally fund this system by November.

In a letter despatched Friday to all regional administrators of the SNAP program, Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary of USDA’s Meals, Diet and Client Providers, stated, “FNS is working to implement full profit issuances in November 2025, in accordance with the November 6, 2025 order of the District Court docket of Rhode Island.”

He added: “Later at the moment, FNS will full the processes essential to make funds obtainable to assist your subsequent transmission of full issuance information to your EBT processor.”

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An EBT signal hangs within the window of a New York Metropolis grocery store. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Photographs)

Penn stated the division would preserve regional administrators “as knowledgeable as doable of future developments and appreciates your continued partnership to serve program beneficiaries nationwide. State businesses ought to contact their FNS Regional Workplace consultant with questions.”

He chided the Trump administration for failing to adjust to the order he issued final week requiring the U.S. Division of Agriculture to fund the SNAP profit packages earlier than the funds expire on Nov. 1. This was the primary time in this system’s 60-year historical past that funds have been stopped.

The choose additionally stated Trump officers have failed to deal with a recognized funding distribution drawback that would delay SNAP funds for weeks or months in some states. He directed the USDA to faucet different emergency funds if needed.

DOJ ACCUSES FEDERAL JUDGE OF MAKING ‘MOCKERY OR THE SEPARATION OF POWER’ IN SPEEDY APPEAL

The USDA stated Friday it’s working to adjust to a choose’s order to totally fund the Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) program amid the federal government shutdown. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Photographs)

“It is seemingly that SNAP recipients are hungry as we sit right here,” McConnell stated Thursday.

Trump administration officers stated in a court docket submitting earlier this week that they might pay solely 65% ​​of the roughly $9 billion owed to fund the SNAP program for November, prompting the choose to replace his order to present the federal government simply 24 hours to conform.

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“The proof exhibits that individuals will go hungry, meals provides might be overloaded and there might be useless struggling,” McConnell stated. “That is what irreparable injury means right here.”

Fox Information’ Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.