Judge Orders Administration to Make Full SNAP Payments

A federal judge in Rhode Island on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to secure full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for November, ruling that the government’s plan to cover only 65% of benefits was unlawful.

U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. issued the decision in response to a lawsuit filed by several cities and nonprofit organizations, which argued that the government’s partial funding plan would cause serious hardship for millions of low-income Americans.

The administration had said it would rely on $4.65 billion in emergency funds but had previously announced that SNAP payments might be delayed—or even halted entirely—because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. The court has now directed the administration to make full payments by Friday.

Judge McConnell criticized officials for not adequately considering the consequences of partial funding. “The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” he wrote. “They knew there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.”

Earlier court rulings had already required the administration to make at least partial payments using emergency funds, which led to a gradual increase from 50% to 65% coverage. Plaintiffs in the case are now demanding full benefits be restored.

In his decision, McConnell also cited comments by President Trump, who had previously suggested that food stamp payments might be suspended entirely until the shutdown was resolved. Although White House officials later softened that position, the judge pointed to the statement as evidence that the administration was not fully complying with court orders.

“This should never happen in America,” McConnell said.

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