States administering a federal food aid program serving about 42 million Americans faced uncertainty on whether they can — and should — provide full monthly benefits during an ongoing legal battle involving the U.S. government shutdown.
The Trump administration demanded that states “undo” full benefits paid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during a one-day window between when a federal judge ordered full funding and a Supreme Court justice put a temporary pause on that order.
A federal appeals court is now considering whether to impose a longer halt to the full benefits. Congress is also considering whether to fund SNAP as part of a proposal to end the government shutdown.
Some states are warning of “catastrophic operational disruptions” if the Trump administration does not reimburse them for SNAP benefits they already authorized. Meanwhile, other states are providing partial monthly SNAP benefits with federal money or utilizing their own funds to load electronic benefit cards for SNAP recipients.
Millions Receive Aid While Others Wait
The administration initially stated SNAP benefits would not be available in November due to the government shutdown. Following lawsuits from some states and nonprofit groups, judges ruled that the administration could not completely skip November’s benefits.
Subsequently, the administration indicated it would utilize an emergency reserve fund to provide 65% of the maximum monthly benefit. However, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell ruled this was insufficient and ordered full funding for SNAP benefits by Friday.
Some states enacted measures quickly to direct their EBT vendors to disburse full monthly benefits to SNAP recipients, allowing millions of individuals to receive funds for groceries before Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson halted McConnell’s order pending further appeals.
Meanwhile, millions more have yet to receive SNAP payments for November, as their states awaited further guidance from the Department of Agriculture.
The Trump administration contends that the judicial order to provide full benefits violates the Constitution by infringing upon the spending powers of the legislative and executive branches.
States Fighting to Maintain SNAP Benefits
On Sunday, the Trump administration asserted that states acted too hastily in issuing full SNAP benefits after prior rulings.
Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary of Agriculture, informed state SNAP directors that “States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.” He warned that penalties could follow if states did not comply.
Wisconsin, which had swiftly released full benefits post-McConnell’s order, had its federal reimbursement frozen. This situation could lead to the depletion of the state’s SNAP account as early as Monday, threatening the ability to reimburse stores serving SNAP recipients.
Democratic governors have pledged to contest any federal efforts to retract funds, with Connecticut’s Gov. Ned Lamont stating, “those who received their benefits should not worry about losing them.” He added that Connecticut will support approximately 360,000 residents dependent on these benefits during the political turmoil.
