WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended a temporary order allowing the Trump administration to continue withholding full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments, pausing a lower court ruling that had ordered full distributions to around 42 million Americans.
The emergency hold remains in effect through Thursday night, leaving the nation’s largest anti-hunger program in limbo as the House prepares to vote on the government funding package that recently passed the Senate.
The White House and Congress have been in negotiations to end the shutdown and pass a funding package that would cover SNAP for November and beyond. But timing remains uncertain, and even if a deal is reached this week, delays in implementation could stretch for days or weeks.
As The Hill reports:
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, an appointee of former President Biden, publicly dissented and voted to resume the payments.
She handles emergency matters arising from Rhode Island by default and had initially received the Trump administration’s appeal. On Friday, Jackson temporarily halted the SNAP payments until Tuesday night, but she rejected her colleagues’ decision to extend the pause until later this week.
Neither Jackson nor the majority explained their reasoning.
“Literally at the eleventh hour, those orders inject the federal courts into the political branches’ closing efforts to end this shutdown,” the Justice Department wrote of the lower court rulings.
DOJ continued to push back forcefully in its filing, warning against judicial overreach: “The answer to this crisis is not for federal courts to reallocate resources without lawful authority. The only way to end this crisis — which the executive is adamant to end — is for Congress to reopen the government.”
Before the Supreme Court stepped in, several states had already issued full November SNAP benefits in compliance with the earlier court order. Others held off or issued only partial payments, leading to some confusion.
Here’s what we know based on verified state reports:
States That Issued Full November SNAP:
- Connecticut: Full payments issued, confirmed by state officials.
- Massachusetts: Benefits paid in full to those who missed earlier deposits.
- Minnesota: Full benefits distributed to about 440,000 recipients.
- New Jersey: Full benefits went out Nov. 7, per the governor.
- New York: State began rolling out full benefits.
- Pennsylvania: Administration acted to issue full payments.
- Wisconsin: Overnight deposits confirmed.
- Maine: Local reports indicate payments resumed.
After those disbursements, the Agriculture Department ordered states to reverse or pause additional payments following the Supreme Court’s stay. Some governors have resisted the directive.
Many other states remain in flux, awaiting legal guidance or federal funding.
What’s Next
All eyes are on Congress this week. If lawmakers finalize a funding agreement that includes SNAP, states could resume full payments relatively quickly — but that depends on USDA direction and state-level readiness.
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