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The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court's order that would have compelled the Trump administration to distribute full November payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), affecting roughly 42 million Americans. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the administrative stay late Friday, granting the administration's emergency request.
The legal conflict began after a federal judge mandated the administration to disburse full benefits by Friday, rejecting the government's plan to provide only partial payments due to a funding shortfall. The administration argued it lacked sufficient funds in its contingency reserve to cover the full amount. Following this ruling, the administration sought an immediate stay from a federal appeals court, which was denied. This prompted an urgent appeal to the Supreme Court for intervention.
The temporary freeze issued by Justice Jackson is intended to give the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit more time to consider the administration's request for a longer-term stay while the case proceeds. A report from CBS News notes the pause is not a final decision on the merits of the case but a procedural step. Without this intervention, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would have been required to proceed with issuing the full benefit amounts.
The White House has maintained that it can only afford to pay a pro-rated, partial benefit for November and that a full payment would exhaust available emergency funds. Advocacy groups and states involved in the lawsuit argue that families rely on these benefits for food security and that partial payments would create significant hardship. The ongoing legal battle over federal food assistance highlights the challenges of funding government programs amid budgetary constraints. As the case moves forward, the immediate future of full SNAP payments remains uncertain, pending further review by the appellate court. Regardless of the legal proceedings, the USDA had previously stated its commitment to complying with court orders regarding the food aid distribution.
