President Donald Trump’s administration has asked the Supreme Court to maintain a freeze on full payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the ongoing government shutdown. This move comes as lower courts have ordered that full SNAP benefits must continue, but the administration is seeking to keep payments limited until further notice.
The Supreme Court is expected to make a decision on Tuesday regarding whether full benefits should be restored or remain frozen.
Brandi Johnson, a SNAP recipient from St. Louis, described her struggles in an interview. She said she has only $20 left in her account and has been skipping meals so her three teenage children can eat. Johnson is also caring for her infant granddaughter, who has food allergies, and her elderly mother. She said food pantries have not provided enough help due to eligibility restrictions. “I think about it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, literally,” Johnson said. “Because you’ve got to figure out how you’re going to eat.”
The Trump administration argues that court orders requiring full funding of SNAP interfere with Congressional negotiations over ending the shutdown. Solicitor General D. John Sauer acknowledged the hardship caused by the funding lapse but argued that judges should not decide how it is handled.
Congress is currently considering a compromise package that would restore SNAP funds and require states to use their own resources temporarily.
Initially, the administration announced there would be no SNAP benefits available in November because of the shutdown. After lawsuits were filed by states and nonprofit groups, judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled against skipping November’s payments entirely.
The administration then proposed using emergency reserves to provide 65% of monthly benefits instead of the full amount. However, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell in Rhode Island ordered last Thursday that full benefits must be paid by Friday.
Following this order, some states directed vendors to distribute full monthly benefits before Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson paused McConnell’s order pending further review by an appeals court.
Millions of people across at least twelve states received their full SNAP benefits before this pause was put into effect; these states are primarily led by Democratic governors.
Meanwhile, many other recipients have yet to receive any November payments as they wait for guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees SNAP distribution nationally. Some states like Texas have made partial payments while awaiting further instructions.
Diane Yentel, President and CEO of National Council of Nonprofits—one of those suing—said Monday: “Continued delays deepen suffering for children, seniors, and working families, and force nonprofits to shoulder an even heavier burden… If basic decency and humanity don’t compel the administration to assure food security for all Americans, then multiple federal court judges finding its actions unlawful must.”
The Trump administration maintains that being required by judicial order to provide full benefits infringes on constitutional powers reserved for Congress and the executive branch.
In Wisconsin—which issued full payments after Judge McConnell’s ruling—the state’s federal reimbursement was frozen soon after; officials warned that their account could run out as early as Monday without new funds from Washington.
New York Attorney General Letitia James reported that some stores had refused service to cardholders out of concern they would not be reimbursed—a practice she called on retailers to stop immediately.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin criticized the administration’s stance: “Trump was fighting ‘for the right to starve Americans.’ It’s the most heinous thing I’ve ever seen in public life,” he said.
As legal proceedings continue at various levels—including recent demands from federal officials over undoing one-day disbursements—states remain uncertain about whether they can or should pay out complete monthly SNAP amounts during litigation.
Judge Julie Rikleman of the U.S. 1st Circuit Court noted: “The record here shows that the government sat on its hands for nearly a month, unprepared to make partial payments while people who rely on SNAP received no benefits a week into November and counting.”
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani held a hearing Monday regarding USDA requests for states to reverse any steps taken toward issuing full November SNAP benefits but paused immediate action on those requests.
