A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to fully fund food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November, calling the government’s failure to make payments during the ongoing shutdown “unacceptable.”
“People have gone without for too long,” U.S. District Judge John McConnell said during an emergency hearing. “Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable.”
Nearly 42 million Americans rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly known as food stamps, which are typically distributed on a staggered basis throughout the month.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had halted benefits for November, claiming the program had run out of funding amid the shutdown. McConnell’s ruling now requires the administration to tap into additional USDA funds to cover the full cost of benefits and issue payments to states by Friday.
Judge Rebukes Administration Over Delays
The judge criticized the administration’s handling of SNAP funding, saying it acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” when it decided earlier this week to issue only partial payments using a $4.65 billion contingency fund.
“It is clear to the court that the administration did not comply,” McConnell said, referring to his earlier order requiring the government to act “expeditiously.” “The record is clear that the administration did neither.”
He also pointed to the government’s decision to redirect part of the USDA’s child nutrition fund to support the WIC program, which provides food assistance to women, infants and children, as evidence that officials could have used that same pool of money to cover SNAP payments.
“A rationale premised on such legal errors must be set aside as arbitrary and capricious,” McConnell said.
Administration Appeals Ruling
The administration swiftly appealed the order to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which has a majority of judges appointed by Democratic presidents.
Justice Department attorney Tyler Becker argued during the hearing that USDA had already done everything possible under the law by releasing money from its contingency fund and issuing guidance to states on how to calculate reduced payments.
“We resolved all of the burdens that the government is responsible for,” Becker told the court.
But McConnell rejected that argument, saying the administration had failed to ensure that aid reached recipients quickly enough.
“Without SNAP funding for the month of November, 16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry,” he said. “This should never happen in America.”
Plaintiffs Call Ruling a ‘Major Victory’
The decision followed lawsuits filed by a coalition of cities, nonprofits, unions and small businesses in Rhode Island and by Democratic governors and state attorneys general in Massachusetts. Both cases challenged the administration’s attempt to suspend or reduce food assistance during the shutdown.
Plaintiffs celebrated Thursday’s ruling as a win for millions of low-income families.
“This immoral and unlawful decision by the administration has shamefully delayed SNAP payments, taking food off the table of hungry families,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, one of the groups involved in the case. “We shouldn’t have to force the president to care for his citizens, but we will do whatever is necessary to protect people and communities.”
USDA Warns of Trade-Offs
The administration has argued that using the nearly $17 billion in child nutrition funds for SNAP would endanger the free and reduced-price school meals program, which serves about 29 million children daily.
USDA officials said they have already diverted $750 million in tariff revenue to bolster the WIC program and warned that further reallocation could disrupt school meal operations nationwide.
Still, McConnell said that reasoning didn’t justify leaving millions of households without food assistance. Under his order, the USDA must ensure full November payments to every state by the end of the week.
