The Trump administration has directed states to “immediately undo” any actions taken to fully fund food aid benefits for November, creating further uncertainty for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which assists 42 million low-income Americans.
In a memo issued on a Saturday, the U.S. Agriculture Department stated that states failing to comply with this directive could face financial penalties. This development comes amid an ongoing government shutdown.
The memo follows an appeal by the Trump administration to pause a U.S. District Court judge’s order that mandated full funding for November’s SNAP benefits by Friday. Judge John McConnell had instructed the administration to utilize alternative reserve funds to allocate the necessary $8.5 billion to $9 billion for this month.
The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily paused the judge’s ruling to allow for further review by an appeals court, enabling the Trump administration to withhold approximately $4 billion in food aid for the time being.
The administration is currently contesting this decision in the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals and argued in its filing that only partial SNAP benefits could be funded this month. After losing a previous court ruling, the administration had previously indicated a willingness to provide 65% of benefits for November but cautioned that the process could extend over weeks or months.
Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, expressed her concern, stating that the Trump administration appears to be “demanding that food assistance be taken away from the households that have already received it.”
She emphasized, “They would rather go door to door, taking away people’s food, than do the right thing and fully fund SNAP for November so that struggling veterans, seniors, and children can keep food on the table.”
This report is derived from an automated news agency feed and has not been modified.
