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The Trump administration faces a noon Monday deadline to update a federal judge on how it plans to resume payments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, after weeks of disruption that have left tens of millions of Americans without food benefits during the government shutdown.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island on Friday ordered the Agriculture Department to issue a full round of November SNAP benefits by the end of the day Monday — or, at minimum, a partial payment by Wednesday. To meet the full payment order, the administration would have to draw on additional funding sources beyond contingency reserves.
“There is no question that the congressionally approved contingency funds must be used now because of the shutdown,” McConnell wrote, citing a 2019 Trump-era guidance memo that said such funds could be tapped if a government shutdown halted SNAP operations. He directed the administration to report by noon Monday “what it will do to comply with this Court’s Order.”
The decision came amid widespread fallout from the weeks-long shutdown, which is on track to become the longest in U.S. history. Across the country, long lines formed at food banks this weekend, including in Texas and California, where stadium parking lots were converted into emergency distribution sites for produce, frozen meat, and household staples.
In the days before SNAP funding was expected to run dry, many state governments tried to fill the gap. Last week, Democratic leaders from 25 states sued the Agriculture Department to force it to use contingency funds to keep the program running. The department has argued those funds are reserved for natural disasters and “not legally available to cover regular benefits.”
A separate federal judge in Massachusetts also signaled that the administration’s suspension of SNAP payments is likely unlawful. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the plaintiffs in that case “are likely to succeed on their claim” and ordered the government to report back by Nov. 3 on whether it will authorize at least partial November benefits.
More than 40 million Americans rely on SNAP, which provides low-income families with funds to buy food. The lapse in benefits has stoked fears that food insecurity could rise sharply if the program remains suspended.
Reached for comment Sunday, the White House referred questions to the Office of Management and Budget, which did not immediately respond.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on “Fox & Friends Weekend” that the department’s contingency fund “won’t even cover about half of what November would cost.”
“We are working and looking at all angles right now,” Rollins said. “The president has been very clear — he wants us to do everything we can to make sure that we can keep these benefits going.”
